The tour of the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, in the local schools began today at the Pascal High School in Pompeii.
Article Key Points
The Theme of the Meeting: Women in Antiquity
The topic addressed was that of women and their living conditions two thousand years ago, and how and to what extent they have changed since then. A dense lesson that took inspiration from the exhibition “Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii” (opening on April 16) and the recent discovery of a large fresco with a Dionysian theme in the House of the Tiaso in Pompeii.
The meeting aroused great interest, with many questions from about one hundred girls and boys from the first, second and third classes of the high school.
A Tour to Promote Culture among Young People
The appointment was the first of a real tour that the director has begun to plan in the municipalities of the Vesuvian territory. The goal is to explain the value of history and archaeology to those who will one day be responsible for keeping the classical and humanistic tradition alive - such as teachers, administrators, researchers and citizens of the future.
The Words of Director Zuchtriegel
"It's the most important appointment of the week," the director said. "Minister Giuli has just confirmed me for another four years at the helm of Pompeii and the kids will be an absolute priority of my mandate. I want to have at least one meeting a week.
We cannot underestimate the importance of talking to children and adolescents, it comes before anything else. They have great curiosity and enormous imagination and creative capacity. My impression is that we do not do enough to open up the world of culture to them as an internal journey that can take them far.
So I said to myself: “You start doing something!” All in all, the first day as a teacher was a wonderful experience, I can't wait to go to the next meeting, which will be held in a school in Scafati.”
The “Dream of Flying” Project
Like other schools in the area, Liceo Pascal also participates in “Sogno di Volare”, a project of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii that consists of theater workshops and the staging of a classical show, directed by Marco Martinelli.
This year, the chosen piece is the comedy “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes, which will be performed on May 24 and 25 in the Teatro Grande of the Pompeii excavations. The project for the 2024/25 school year is supported by the Ray of Light Foundation, promoted by the artist Madonna.
The Headmaster's Comment
“History is us” was the integrating background not only of the educational offering of our high school, but also of today's meeting with the Director of the Archaeological Park – declared Filomena Zamboli, Headmistress of Pascal.
It is about the awareness that historical knowledge is an essential element of today's Person and tomorrow's Citizen.
Pompeii: A Living Treasure to Share
From this perspective, Pompeii and the surrounding area represent an exceptional heritage: a vital city that continues to surprise us and reveal its submerged treasures.
This is the message brought today by the Director, in his role as a privileged witness, in dialogue with the students, in the real educational attempt to bring Pompeii out of Pompeii.
A Final Quote
I like to quote Don Luigi Giussani, one of my teachers:
**"And then it passed to those who came after, like a river. And this river, through so many centuries, arrived to my mother and from my mother it arrived to me and from me to you, dear friend."**
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Let me know if you want a more journalistic, formal, or even more creative tone!
Article published on 14 April 2025 - 18:00
