Six months after the inauguration of the Materia Exhibition, the Royal Palace of Portici has almost reached the 30.000 mark.
A royal walk leads visitors from the excavations to the Bourbon royal residence.
Thanks to the good weather, the sun and the joy of being outdoors, for our visitors the walk is fit for a king: the road that is taken today for the integrated visit to the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum and the Exhibition Materia – The wood that did not burn in Herculaneum, is the same one that in the Bourbon era brought the finds from the excavations of Herculaneum to the first place where they were kept: the Royal Palace of Portici.
Open to the public in December 2022, the Exhibition Materia – The wood that did not burn in Ercolano, which displays the finds from the Ercolano Archaeological Park at the Reggia di Portici, reaches the milestone of 6 months. Almost 30.000 tourists were able to take a journey through the wooden beauties of ancient Ercolano to discover the Reggia di Portici, which thanks to the synergy with the Park recorded attendance tripled compared to the same period last year.
The undisputed protagonist of the exhibition is wood; in fact, Herculaneum is not only the only city in the Roman world that preserves its ancient sea front and the elevation of the houses up to the second floor, but it is also the only Roman site to preserve enormous quantities of wood as a building material, furniture and more. This is due to the particular type of burial, caused by the waves of volcanic mud from the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.
The heritage of finds from the ancient site is absolutely unique: from window frames such as doors, windows, partitions, to ceilings, furnishings, wardrobes, chests, tabernacles, beds and wooden tables, the result of artisan work carried out with great skill. The careful restoration work has allowed the recovery of very precious objects that, although appearing, in the majority of cases, as carbonized wood, retain their original shape and the refinement of the carved decorations.
“Between the Archaeological Park and the eighteenth-century Reggia di Portici, hunting residence of the Bourbon royal family and home to the Herculanense Museum, one of the first archaeological museums in the world, progenitor of the MANN and destination of travellers on the Grand Tour, – declares the Director of the archaeological site Francesco Sirano – visitors can enjoy a fantastic double experience of knowledge: the incredible furniture and furnishings of ancient Herculaneum and the fabulous Reggia suspended between the sea and the greenery, home for 150 years to one of the most important departments of Agriculture in Italy. The Park strongly desired this exhibition to multiply the positive effects on the diffusion of knowledge and the identity values of the territory. A territory in which the relationship with history becomes emotion and direct awareness thanks to the integrated visit to these two cultural sites of extraordinary intensity.
And the sea that ideally and actually embraces the two municipalities of Ercolano and Portici, participates as a natural protagonist in the initiatives by the administrators who weave alliances and plots of understanding to enhance an enlarged territory that does not stop at the narrow confines of the Archaeological Park. We want the number of visitors who reach the Reggia di Portici to grow further, we want to improve the quality of the view and we want the first to enjoy it to be the citizens of the area and surely the beautiful season will be our ally. We will continue with the territorial connections that are certainly a winning card for the development of the entire area”.
The Director of the MUSA Center Stefano Mazzoleni declares: “An exciting exhibition of extraordinary finds that adds to the visit itinerary of the integrated museum site of the Royal Palace of Portici, a surprising place for its architectural and artistic beauty, archaeological testimony and scientific experience, in the year in which the 150th anniversary of the Agricultural School of Portici is celebrated and which in the coming months will also see the setting up of the Museums of Agricultural Sciences in the new rooms restored by the Superintendency on the main floor of the Royal Palace.”
The exhibition – produced by the Ercolano Archaeological Park and which benefits from the contribution of the Metropolitan City of Naples, now owner of the Royal Palace, of the Department of Agriculture and of the Musa – Reggia di Portici Museum Center of the University of Naples Federico II, with the sponsorship of HEBANON Fratelli Basile 1830, and whose installation is entrusted to the company ACME04 – is divided into 6 sections, and will be open until December 31st according to the following hours for the summer season 9:30 – 19:00 (last admission 17:30).
It is possible, with a single integrated ticket of € 15,00, to visit the Archaeological Park of Ercolano, Mostra Materia, the Royal Palace of Portici, the Herculanense Museum, the Botanical Garden; while the ticket for the exhibition is € 5,00.
All information on the website www.matreiainreggia.it and www.ercolano.beniculturali.it
Article published on 30 June 2023 - 18:45
