30 Pompeii buildings restored, towards new visitor record

(ANSAmed) - Naples, July 4 - Some 30 buildings have already been restored and reopened to the public as part of the European-funded Great Pompei Project at the excavations outside Naples. This year visitor numbers have risen by a monthly average of 10-15% and look set to exceed the record 3.2 million visitors established in 2016, when international visitors to the southern coastal city rose by 9% according to Bank of Italy figures.
    "Pompeii was synonymous with negativity, building collapses, problems and wild strikes. But this is all behind us," Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said. "Now it is a story of emancipation and a global model for the use of public resources," he added. "To this an important novelty must be added: Pompeii can be visited at night, to begin with twice a week." On Tuesdays and Thursdays from July 8 until August 24 visitors can enjoy a sound and light display in the Forum area as part of the initiative 'Campania by night. Archaeology under the stars".
    The itinerary, put together in partnership with ENEL, allows visitors to imagine what daily life was like in the ancient Roman commercial town before it was destroyed by Vesuvius in 79 AD. So far 76 restoration projects have been financed under the 105-million euro Great Pompei Project.
    Of these, 64 have been completed, 9 are underway and 3 are due to start. Major buildings to have been reopened to the public following restoration include the Villa of the Mysteries and the House of the Vettii, which had been inaccessible for 12 years. (ANSAmed)