The 19th International Symposium “The Museum as a Laboratory. Memory, Sustainability, Innovation,” on the management of cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, its conservation, valorization, and promotion, in a context characterized by rapid evolution and a necessary redefinition of the role of the museum. The symposium fostered contact and dialogue between representatives of government institutions, universities, and museums in Italy and Brazil, illustrating best practices experienced in both countries. The initiative was an important opportunity for reflection after the tragic fire that destroyed the Quinta da Boa Vista National Museum in Rio de Janeiro. The unfortunate episode in September, which caused very serious damage to the part of the Greco-Roman collection on display, becomes an opportunity for Italy and Brazil to meet in the name of a renewed collaboration, a joint effort by the two countries to fill the void left by the tragedy. Italy has offered its support with its excellence in heritage management and restoration in order to best contribute to the rebirth of the National Museum. At the same time, the challenge leads to the need to bring forward innovative solutions, from the point of view of management and security of museums, but also from the point of view of communication with the use of multimedia devices and augmented reality to provide new ways of recovering memory and new opportunities for the enjoyment of heritage. At the Symposium, where the Ministry was represented at the highest level by Undersecretary Senator Lucia Borgonzoni, the case studies of Pompeii and Herculaneum were presented by Director Francesco Sirano. The speech by Director Sirano “Museum and archaeological park as a laboratory: between memory, sustainability and innovation”, illustrated the experience born to react to very critical and discouraging situations that had arisen, in two different historical moments, in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Two examples that were useful to illustrate the strategic vision of the two Parks, falling within a single UNESCO Site formed by Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata. From the words of Francesco Sirano first of all the awareness, albeit according to partly different paths for the different history of each site, that Pompeii and Herculaneum have in recent years completely changed the programmatic and operational approach abandoning the emergency to enter the era of ordinary maintenance and planning of interventions, addressing every field of scientific knowledge and - declares the Director of the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum - "the experience of Rio has confirmed in me the belief that cultural heritage is truly a possession shared by all humanity. In this case, the collection of Teresa Cristina de Borbón, which was only part of the large exhibition at the Rio Museum, speaks to us of a bond between Brazil and Italy, and in particular with Naples where the empress was born, a bond that could be renewed and enriched starting from this tragic circumstance. We also saw and appreciated the work that our colleagues at the National Museum of Rio are conducting and we compared ourselves with the lively and interesting panorama of the Museums of the Carioca city, drawing ideas for cultural enrichment and reflection for future activities". The Herculaneum Archaeological Park was also represented by Dr. Elisabetta Canna, a restoration expert who conducted an initial survey of the artifacts recovered from the fire. She also spoke at the Symposium with a presentation on new restoration technologies, using the example of the wooden roof of the House of the Relief of Telephus, whose restoration is now at an advanced stage in collaboration with the Herculaneum Conservation Project.
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