Ercolano. Program of initiatives between site and city and project 'Via Mare'

The 'Via Mare' initiative was born within the Herculaneum Conservation Project in 2006, at the instigation of Dr. David W. Packard to promote the improvement of both the material and immaterial interface of the boundaries between the site and the modern city. In 2007, thanks to the signing of a memorandum of understanding, the then Archaeological Superintendency, now the Archaeological Park of Ercolano, began a collaboration with local authorities (Municipality and Region) to improve the boundaries by creating a pedestrian walkway to the north of the excavations and the Maiuri Park for a total value of over € 2.5 million. The shared project included demolition and safety works that affected an area of ​​approximately 5.000 m1927 to the north-west of the site, in the densely built-up area of ​​Via Mare extending above the forum of ancient Herculaneum. The neighborhood is, in fact, one of the most damaged by the impact of the large excavations of 1958-XNUMX, which isolated it physically and socially from the rest of the historic center.
In those same years, other initiatives were launched that sought to create a bridge between the local community and institutions, thanks to collaboration with non-profit organizations such as the Centro Herculaneum and Radio Siani.
In the wake of these first changes, in 2009 the Via Mare – Via dei Cortili redevelopment project was born, to which € 2.6 million was allocated by the Municipality of Ercolano. In 2012, the Packard Humanities Institute declared itself available to support the operation, through its Italian arm the Packard Institute for Cultural Heritage and other partners, with the drafting of the project and with the contribution to the acquisition of the 3 buildings still standing on the freed land; all with a financial commitment of up to € 3 million.
On 23 January 2014, an agreement was signed between the then Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, the then Minister for Territorial Cohesion, the then Archaeological Superintendency, the then Superintendency for Architectural and Landscape Heritage, the Municipality of Ercolano and the Packard Institute, for the "protection and enhancement of the archaeological site of Ercolano and for the redevelopment of the areas between Via Cortili and Via Mare".
It was decided to develop two projects, one for the demolition and safety of the area, to be carried out and paid for by the Packard Institute (project 'Expansion of the Archaeological Park of Ercolano to the northwest of the Excavations') and the renewed project 'Redevelopment…' which the Municipality of Ercolano in 2016, under a new administration, refinanced with its own funds.
The contract 'Expansion…' of the Packard Institute was completed between January 2015 and March 2018. The construction site also had the important function of reassuring residents about the continuity of the work and of ensuring legality.
In the first half of 2019, the 'Redevelopment' tender finally starts.
With the delivery of the 'Redevelopment' works in July 2019, the last piece of this complex mosaic that will bring the long-awaited urban, cultural and social change in the relationship between the ancient city and the modern city finally begins.
In fact, the measures planned along Via Mare, with the demolition of the border wall, and the opening of a green public space, managed partly by the Ercolano Archaeological Park and partly by the Municipality in the heart of the historic center, overlooking the archaeological site and in correspondence with the underground ancient Theater, will potentially change all the dynamics of tourist flows and will promote new cultural and social initiatives over time, removing Via Mare from isolation and indeed giving the neighborhood a prominent position in the historic center. Furthermore, the contribution of the associations, which have supported the project since its drafting, has favored the improvement of the dialogue with the local community and has offered further ideas for cultural and social development for the entire Ercolano area. The Via Mare project is seen as a pilot on a territorial scale, triggering virtuous actions also on the remaining site-city borders. Great attention and interest has been shown by numerous international organizations, including UNESCO, which has long promoted the creation of a filter zone for all Vesuvian sites.