Parco Archeologico di Ercolano

A UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the ruins of Pompeii and Oplontis, the archaeological site of Herculaneum is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Campania.

Mosaic of Neptune and Amphitrite

The discovery and its mission

Randomly found at the beginning of the 1700s, excavations began in 1738 and then stopped several times over the years, until 1927, when a systematic excavation of the site started.

The new Archaeological site of Herculaneum, born in 2016, began its full operational phase in 2017. The mission of the Park combines research, conservation and transmission to the present public and to future generations of Ercolano’s cultural values.

Its cultural heritage includes both very rich material and intangible assets, represented by the historical archaeological knowledge of the ancient Roman city and the identity that Herculaneum assumed after its discovery, starting from 1738, in the social and cultural context of the modern and contemporary age.

The absolute exceptionality of the site has been recognized worldwide also by UNESCO in 1997.

Herculaneum, the great laboratory of history and the collaboration with the Packard Foundation

Since its first discovery, Herculaneum has gained international attention as a great laboratory not only for the archaeological history of Campania in Roman times, but also for the extraordinary conservation challenges it poses.

In fact, the findings have organic remains from wood to fruit, from furniture to agricultural produce, to real treasures of goldsmith craftsmanship.

To assist in the optimal management of this wonderful heritage in Herculaneum, an exemplary case of public-private interaction has been active since 2001 thanks to the precious presence of the Packard Foundation.

The American philanthropic body, chaired by David Packard, has not only financed important restoration work and extensive in-depth study campaigns, but has also established the Herculaneum Conservation Project on the site.

The project involves a team of professionals, the majority of whom are Italians at the express wish of the patron, together with whom a virtuous path has been developed aimed at the conservation and enhancement of the site.

The visit

The visit itineraries tell the life and the last hours of a luxurious town in the shadow of Vesuvius, consigned to history by the eruption of 79 AD

The streets, the houses, the public spaces, the well-being and the spas, the shops and the artisan activities, the sacred, are just some of the themes that are clearly perceived, in a visit that is characterized by the peculiarity of offering a dimension intimate and collection of an exceptional experience.