Pompeii Unveils Hidden Secrets: Exciting Expansion Plans Revealed!
Pompeii, the renowned ancient Roman city, is gearing up for expansion with the exciting Grande Pompei project With free shuttle buses and shared tickets, visitors can conveniently explore nearby archaeological sites and villas A remarkable opportunity to dive deeper into the rich history of this iconic destination
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Building more of the site is not possible; however, excavating further is an option, albeit at a considerable expense.
As the number of tourists visiting the site continues to increase, the team responsible for managing the Pompeii archaeological park has devised an alternative strategy. They plan to disperse visitors across nearby ancient sites, providing all-in-one tickets and shuttle services between these locations.
The Grande Pompei will serve as a dispersed archaeological park, encompassing not only the archaeological sites of Pompeii but also the villas located in the neighboring areas such as Boscoreale, Oplontis (in the present-day town of Torre Annunziata), and Stabiae, situated in the modern Castellammare di Stabia.
Shuttles will take visitors to sites including Villa San Marco at Castellammare di Stabia.
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During a recent visit to Pompeii, Italy's culture minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano, referred to it as a "dispersed museum." He highlighted a plan aimed at sustainable improvement for both the archaeological park and its surrounding area. Previously, the sites within the Archaeological Park of Pompeii were individually ticketed and located quite far from each other, spanning approximately 8 miles. Limited public transportation further added to the challenge. As a solution, a trial run of the Pompeii Artebus shuttle service was conducted in 2021.
Due to their lack of accessibility, visitor numbers to certain sites remain low. Although Pompeii itself attracted nearly four million visitors in 2019, only 55,000 individuals managed to visit Villa A in Oplontis, believed to have belonged to Emperor Nero and his second wife, Poppaea Sabina, whom he murdered. Similarly, only 52,000 people reached the two villas at Stabiae, Villa Arianna and Villa San Marco. This highlights the pressing urgency to save Pompeii before it is too late.
Pompeii is experiencing an overwhelming influx of visitors. The number of visitors has significantly increased from under 2.7 million in 2014 to over 3.9 million in 2019. In July 2023, a staggering 21,141 people visited the park in just one day.
Furthermore, in 2023, a high-speed train service was introduced, providing direct transportation from Rome to Pompeii. However, this train service is only available on one Sunday per month, further contributing to the already large number of daytrippers. On the latest "Domenica al Museo," where entry to state-run heritage sites is free on the first Sunday of the month, Pompeii surpassed all other heritage sites in Italy and became the most visited one.
Tickets for the scattered site will be valid for three days, accompanied by complimentary shuttles that link all the sites. Additionally, the Antiquarium, an adjacent museum to Boscoreales Villa Regina, will be reopened, featuring a dedicated space showcasing the ongoing excavations in Civita Giuliana. Notably, this includes the ceremonial carriage discovered in March 2021.
The Villa dei Misteri at Pompeii will also get new lighting which will better replicate the original lighting in the villa.
The 'Villa Poppaea' at Oplontis is thought to have been owned by the emperor Nero and his wife Poppaea.
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The move follows the completion of the Great Pompeii Project, a decade-long initiative funded with 105 million euros from the European Union. During this period, significant excavations were carried out at Civita Giuliana, unearthing the remains of horses in 2018 and a chariot in 2021. Furthermore, a newly discovered room provided valuable insights into the lives of slaves. Additionally, two new museums, the Antiquarium and the Museo Archeologico di Castellammare di Stabia, Libero DOrsi, were inaugurated in the vicinity. The Museo Archeologico di Castellammare di Stabia is located within the magnificent Reggia di Quisisana palace in Castellamare di Stabia.
70 buildings have been restored as part of the project, with an additional 40 hectares of the site now open for visits. Furthermore, a four-kilometer accessible loop specifically designed for individuals with reduced mobility has been constructed in Pompeii. In the latest excavation, archaeologists have discovered a room believed to have been used by slaves in Pompeii.
Sangiuliano announced this week, during the project's completion celebration, that the Grande Pompei scheme will receive over 230 million euros in investment. The project is set to commence on October 13th.
