Easter for the kids: 5 activities involving nature and animals, for the whole family

Picking Genoa as a destination for your Easter holidays is always an excellent idea and the kids will be grateful to you. A visit to the fascinating Ligurian capital,  will enthrall you with its ancient buildings and alleys, an atmosphere suspended in time. Your wanderings can only lead you to the Old Port heading to the Aquarium of Genoa, the largest in Europe, designed by the starchitect Renzo Piano.

A journey into underwater life will enchant the little ones, but it won't fail to captivate adults too. It is an extraordinary journey among sharks and manta rays, penguins and seals, and thousands of tropical fish. The Cetacean Pavilion is a show within a show, where you really feel like you’re diving with the dolphins. The educational apparatus is well-kept, intended for an audience of adults and children: a complete biology lesson for learning while having fun.

After the electrifying experience at the Genoa Aquarium, you just need to move a little to take part in a whale watching tour. You can choose one of the many departure ports: Camogli, Genoa, Varazze, Savona, Loano, Andora, Laigueglia, Bordighera, Sanremo or Imperia. The boats leave to the open sea for dolphin and whale watching excursions.

With a bit of patience and a certain amount of luck, you might see them circling around the boat. It’s a protected marine area, in the heart of the Cetacean Sanctuary: over 100 thousand kilometers of clear waters, from France to Sardinia, touching Tuscany and Liguria. An authentic emotive experience for the whole family.

An excellent choice is to visit north-eastern Italy: Venice, the queen of the lagoon, is an unmissable stop on any trip. For a lesser-known destination, organize your tour by also heading towards the Delta del Po Park, a day trip much loved by Veneto and Emilia-Romagna city folk.

Here, nature is magical, wrapped in a peaceful and dreamy atmosphere. You will move between lagoons and canals, with long banks ideal for riding a bicycle, which you can rent in many places, and paths where it’s enchanting to walk. Many boats offer excursions, animal-loving children will find themselves looking up to follow the flight of the magnificent pink flamingos. Seagulls and cranes will be your faithful companions during the trip, alongside sea turtles.

If your children are aged between 3 and 9, they can try their hand at a very special egg activity. In fact, the symbol of the Easter festivities becomes the focus of a fun activity in Bellaria Igea Marina, a seaside resort in the province of Rimini, part of the «La Ruzzolina al mare» event.

On the sandy dunes of the beach in front of Piazzale Kennedy, large play areas are created where, instead of marbles, hard boiled eggs are used to play. But not just any eggs, ones decorated by the children. The evening before the competition, settled in a comfortable family hotel, you can help your children paint the shells. The prize for the winners of the game? Traditional chocolate eggs of course, of all sizes and containing all kinds of surprises.

The desire for sea, sun, and interesting unspoilt landscapes perhaps drew you to Sardinia, a splendid and luminous island. Having traveled among the archaeological treasures, on the rugged coasts and in the cities of art with your children, they now deserve a stop entirely dedicated to them.

In Oristano the DINOsardo awaits you, a paleontological journey to discover the animals that populated the Earth millions of years ago, adored by all children. The park is a favorite weekend destination for Sardinian families for a trip outside the city. In the 5,000 square meters of the park there are reproductions of fossils, which children can touch, as well as 5 dinosaur models, plus a life-size one depicting a pterosaur. More fun? The paleontological excavation laboratory, where every child is invited to dig, to experience the thrill of finding a fossil of their own.