NATURAL MARINE RESERVE
MIRAMARE

Name
Riserva Naturale Marina di Miramare (Natural Marine Reserve of Miramare)

Management
Italian Association for the World Wide Fund for Nature – ONLUS

Location
The protected area extends from the promontory of Miramare and spreads towards the coastal area situated between the tourist part of Grignano and the Riviera of Barcola, just a few km north west of the city of Trieste.

How to get there
By train: train line from Venice to Trieste or Udine to Trieste. Get off at the Trieste Centrale Station and from there take the bus #36. Some local trains stop also at the Miramare train station.
By urban public bus: From Trieste city bus #36 in direction of Grignano (last stop)
Suburban public bus: Saita or Atp (bus station right next the central train station) lines which stop in Grignano.
By private transportation: take the “Costiera Triestina” (SS14) until you reach the turn “Grignano Mare”. Enter through the gate marked “Parco di Miramare”.

Addresses and contact numbers
Riserva Naturale Marina di Miramare
viale Miramare 349
34014 – Grignano – Trieste
tel. +39 040 224147
fax +39 040 224636
info@riservamarinamiramare.it
www.riservamarinamiramare.it

History
The reserve was established in 1986, with a decree-law of the Ministry of the Environment. The management of the area has been given to the Italian Association for the WWF for Nature – ONLUS. It is a State established reserve, with a high level of protection and an extension of 30Ha, surrounded by a “partially protected” buffer zone, of 90 ha, established by the Sea Authority of Trieste in 1994.
Inside the gardens of the Miramar castle there is a small building called the “Castelletto”(little castle), the main office of the Marine Reserve. It also hosts the Visitor Centre, the Centre for the Marine Environment Education (CEAM), a library, a class room and a scientific laboratory.

Services offered
There are no restaurants or accommodations within the reserve but there is one in the near park of the Castle of Miramare and several in the port of Grignano. There are also accomodations nearby: a youth hostel, hotels and rooms for rent.

Visitors’ centre
Open everyday from 9.00 to 17.00 from October to March, and from 9.00 to 18.30 from April to September. Organized tours can be prearranged prior reservation. Inside, one can find an itinerary through the reserve‘s marine environments which have been recreated, to show the organisma that live there.

Underwater activities
For the most part of the year, (from March to November), the Reserve organizes many initiatives to get to know the marine world: seawatching tours and immersions for scubadivers with a permit. There are also the “blue weekends” and seawatching classes for children.

Educational opportunities
Since 1989 the educational team of the Reserve offers various fun educational activities for many age groups: from early childhood to high school. These activities allow students to familiarize with scientific tools and observation techniques, helping them understand the importance of the marine ecosystem.
The educational activities are diversified to comply with the needs of students and teachers, and range from a half day, to a whole day or several days (Blue Weeks).

Territoral Network
The Miramar Marine Reserve is part of a tourstic area that connects natural, historical, scientific and artistic aspects of the area. A few minutes away by foot there is the Castle of Miramar, museum and former Habsburg residence now under protection of the government; within the grounds of the castle you will find the ex castle stables at present adapted to cultural exhibits; in the Grignano bay there is a Science Center to visit: a modern “hands on” museum; and the gardens (so called “park”) surrounding the main Castle and “castelletto”. It is also possible to reach the Karst highlands through the historical paths that go from Miramar and reach the town of Contovello through vines and olive trees, offering amazing panoramic views of the Gulf of Trieste.