In 1986, the Marine Protected Area of Miramare (MPA) was established between the small tourist harbour of Grignano and the Barcola Riviera, managed by the Italian branch of the World Wildlife Fund to oversee the complete protection of the area. Access to the sea is, however, allowed for guided, scuba-diving visits and snorkelling with an official guide.
The visitors' centre at the MPA is open throughout the year, and enables visitors to learn more about an undersea world which is not easily accessible by offering a multi-sensory path among habitats typical of the Gulf of Trieste. The staff of biologists and naturalists welcomes school visits and individual tourists, accompanying them in a journey of discovery of the coastal marine environment and involving them in taking samples of and monitoring the plant and animal life. Green, eco-recreational activities involve modules of visits and environmental education of different durations, including week-long residential courses (Blue Weeks).