A port of maritime history
A true "open-air museum" on the Romagna Riviera, Cesenatico’s Canal Port was designed by Leonardo da Vinci, who inspected it and produced two drawings in 1502.
European Association for Aquatic Mammals
Waves ofknowledge.
- HostMuseo della MarineriaCesenaticoConference
- OrganiserOltremare 2.0RiccionePark visit & Gala Dinner
General information.
Everything you need to plan your trip to the EAAM Annual Symposium — venue, dates and the practical details, kept up to date here as the event approaches.
2–5 March 2027Symposium theme
Waves of Knowledge: Global Perspectives and Collaboration for Aquatic Animal Science and Conservation
Sharing science to build a bridge to action for protection of aquatic animals globally.
Two venues
Conference
Museo della Marineria
Cesenatico
All scientific sessions, workshops and poster presentations, in the historic canal port designed by Leonardo da Vinci.
Park visit & Gala Dinner
Oltremare 2.0
Riccione
The park visit and the festive Gala Dinner, roughly 30 minutes down the coast from Cesenatico.
Call for sponsors
Partner with the EAAM Annual Symposium and put your organisation in front of Europe’s aquatic mammal science, welfare and conservation community. Download the brochure for packages, visibility and benefits.
Download sponsor brochureCall for abstracts
Share your research with the aquatic mammal community. We invite oral, short-talk, video, poster and roundtable submissions across welfare, training, veterinary medicine, conservation, behavioural research and education.
View call for abstractsCesenatico: A Port of Maritime History and Tradition
Cesenatico is not only one of the principal towns of the Romagna Riviera, but a true “open-air museum” with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. The beating heart of the town is its Canal Port, designed by Leonardo da Vinci, who inspected it in 1502 after being commissioned by Cesare Borgia to improve its efficiency and defense. The town continues to preserve its maritime identity through the Museo della Marineria, located in the historic port where the Symposium will take place.
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The Dolphin Aquarium, 1959
Europe’s first dolphinarium, founded in Cesenatico. It was here that Italy’s first expertise in marine mammal biology and management took shape.
Drawn by Leonardo, 1502
Two pages of the Codex L record his survey of Cesenatico and its canal port — the earliest drawings of the harbour the symposium now gathers around.
1959 — Today
A Pioneering History of Aquatic Animal Care
Cesenatico also occupies an important place in the history of aquatic animal care in Italy. The Cesenatico Aquarium opened in 1959, establishing an early centre for the public presentation and study of dolphins. Its development formed part of a broader history of dolphin facilities along the Romagna Riviera, including the dolphinariums of Riccione, Rimini and Cattolica.
This history continued to evolve through the establishment of NARVALO S.r.l., which brought together the Riccione and Cattolica facilities in the early 1990s. Under the direction and vision of Leandro Stanzani, this experience subsequently developed into Oltremare, which opened in Riccione in 2004.
Today, Oltremare represents the continuation of this long-standing tradition, combining animal care, education, scientific knowledge and conservation. The connection with EAAM is equally longstanding: Oltremare has hosted an EAAM Annual Symposium, while two previous editions were held at the Riccione Dolphinarium.
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- 1959
- Cesenatico Aquarium opens.
- 1960s
- Dolphinariums subsequently open in Riccione, Rimini and Cattolica.
- Early 1990s
- The Riccione and Cattolica dolphinariums become part of NARVALO S.r.l.
- 2004
- Oltremare opens in Riccione, continuing the development of this long-standing experience under the direction and vision of Leandro Stanzani.
- EAAM
- The Riccione Dolphinarium hosted two EAAM Annual Symposia, followed by an edition hosted by Oltremare: one in 1981 (22-25/03/2026) — 9° edition; one in 1991 (15-19/03/2026) — 19° edition, both hosted by Riccione Delphinarium; the last one in March 2006 hosted by Oltremare, Riccione.
A few milestones from the history of aquatic animal facilities along the Romagna Riviera
Regional research
Delfini Metropolitani Adriatico
The “Delfini Metropolitani Adriatico” (DMA) project is a strategic initiative dedicated to researching and protecting marine biodiversity in the North-Western Adriatic Sea. Born from a collaboration between regional aquariums, the Genoa Aquarium Foundation, and the PROMED research group, this long-term project uses bottlenose dolphins as bioindicators of marine ecosystem health. Every spring and summer, researchers conduct sea surveys to study the local dolphin population off the Romagna coast. They use photo-identification of dorsal fins alongside bioacoustics recordings to estimate population size, track social dynamics, and analyze movement patterns. By integrating this data into the international PROMED network, the project helps assess the impact of climate change on Mediterranean cetaceans while raising public awareness about coastal conservation.
Only bottlenose dolphins have been identified within the DMA project itself. Other marine mammals historically present in these waters:
- Stenella coeruleoalba (Striped dolphin)
- Delphinus delphis (Common dolphin)
- Grampus griseus (Risso’s dolphin)
- Balaenoptera physalus (Fin whale)
- Ziphius cavirostris (Cuvier’s beaked whale)
- Physeter macrocephalus (Sperm whale)
- Monachus monachus (Mediterranean monk seal)
Our Host: OLTREMARE 2.0
MUCH MORE THAN A PARK
On the Romagna Riviera, a region famous above all for its food and welcoming spirit, there is a place where the curiosity of adults and children finally finds the answers it deserves. Oltremare 2.0 in Riccione is not just any park: it is a Family Edutainment Park, a space where every step becomes a discovery, every encounter leaves an impression, and fun stops being an end in itself to transform into something greater. An authentic journey across land, water, and sky, where nature and technology blend into an experience designed to excite, amaze, and inspire reflection for young and old alike.
DISCOVER, LOVE, PROTECT
Three words that capture the essence of Oltremare 2.0. A centre of excellence for animal knowledge and scientific research, the park does not merely showcase nature: it defends, studies, and celebrates it. Every path and every experience is designed to build a genuine bond between people and the planet we inhabit. Learning is our mission; discovery is our goal. Here, emotions are experienced with all the senses, and every encounter leaves a lasting mark on the mind and heart. Stories told by the water, whispered in the sky, and carved into the earth, to be learned also by attending animal demonstrations that combine naturalistic rigour, research projects, and pure emotion.
- 110,000 sq m
- total extension of the park (77,000 sq m of green spaces)
- 24,000 sq m
- extension of indoor spaces featuring attractions, marine and terrestrial habitats, grandstands, and dining options
- 9 million litres
- of saltwater for the Dolphins World lagoon with 2,500 seats
- 11
- hyper-realistic 1:1 scale models of hominids and primitive humans in Sapiens
- 4
- Megafauna animals represented in 1:1 scale in Sapiens, such as the 5-metre-tall mammoth
- 479 animals
- of 60 different species hosted in the park
- 2.7 metres
- the length of the largest animal, the dolphin, which competes for the title with the alligator by just a few centimetres
- 2.8 metres
- the wingspan of the griffon vulture hosted in Raptors World
- 4,000 sq m
- extension of Ulisse’s Island
Oltremare 2.0 in numbers
Where to stay.
Rates below are negotiated directly with each property for symposium delegates. All hotels are within walking distance of the Museo della Marineria — contact them directly to book, mentioning the EAAM symposium.
How to get there and where to stay.
Getting between venues
Cesenatico and Riccione sit about 30 minutes apart along the coast. Transportation between the venues (Cesenatico and Oltremare) is organised by the symposium.
Getting from Bologna to Cesenatico
Train from Cesenatico to Rimini: 31 minutes.
Hotel Miramare
V.le Carducci, 2, Cesenatico
- Double room€104
- Double for single use€82
- Single roomOnly 3 rooms available€67
Breakfast included · City tax €2.70/person/night
1.2 km from the Museo della Marineria
Visit website ↗Hotel New Bristol
V. Del Fortino, 9, Cesenatico
- Double room€84
- Double for single use€72
- Single roomOnly 3 rooms available€57
Breakfast included · City tax €2.00/person/night
1.0 km from the Museo della Marineria
Visit website ↗Hotel Gioiello
Via Giovanni da Verrazzano, 23, Cesenatico
- Double room€40
- Double for single use€50
- Single roomOnly 3 rooms available€45
Grand Hotel Da Vinci
V. Carducci, 7, Cesenatico
- Double room€170
- Double for single use€140
Breakfast included · City tax €4.00/person/night
1.2 km from the Museo della Marineria
30 rooms available, between double and double-for-single-use
Visit website ↗Hotel Rossoblu
V. Carducci, 40, Cesenatico
- Double room€90
- Double for single use€65
Breakfast included · City tax €2.00/person/night
1.3 km from the Museo della Marineria
Visit website ↗Recommended for students
Rimini offers more in the evening, and it’s a short bus or train ride from Cesenatico.
Sunflower City Hostel
Via Dardanelli 102, Rimini
- 4/6-bed dorm roomPer person, per night€28
Breakfast included · City tax €2.00/person/night
13 min walk or 9 min on bus n° 11 from Rimini Railway
Visit website ↗Join us in Cesenatico.
Program, fees and the call for abstracts will be published here as they’re finalised. Questions in the meantime?
