Pompeii relaunches the Fiorelli School: six internships for young researchers; applications are due by November 22nd.

More than 150 years after Giuseppe Fiorelli's vision, Pompeii is preparing to once again become a major archaeological training center. The Archaeological Park is relaunching the historic "Pompeii School," a project aimed at young researchers that aims to complement university education with hands-on experience among artifacts, construction sites, and scientific activities.

The initiative, born from a collaboration with Italian universities, aims to offer a complementary program to doctoral programs and graduate schools, connecting scholars with the heritage and professionals who work on the site daily.

The first experience dates back to 1866, when Fiorelli, one of the most important directors of the excavations, founded a school in Pompeii for the practical training of young archaeologists. The project was short-lived, hampered by a lack of resources, facilities, and students, but it left its mark on the history of Italian archaeology. Archaeologist Fausto Zevi remembered it as an "exceptional opportunity" for training, accompanied by the "bitter [...] certainty of a great missed opportunity."

Today, that vision is revived, thanks in part to the project to build a campus in the San Paolino area. A library, guesthouse, storage and laboratory, and spaces for research and temporary exhibitions are intended to form the core of a permanent facility dedicated to study and education.

"Our School of Archaeology is not in competition with doctoral or specialization programs, as Fiorelli's School was 150 years ago, but is strictly complementary: we offer direct field experience to apply theory to the reality of the ancient city," explains the director of the Archaeological Park, Gabriel Zuchtriegel.

"With this program, we want to consolidate Pompeii's role as an international reference for research and training, offering young people an extraordinary opportunity to work closely with the archaeological heritage, research data, construction sites, and the professionals who work in the Park every day," adds Zuchtriegel.

The program will not be limited to studying the artifacts. Participants will also be involved in site promotion activities, including the design of temporary exhibitions, following a path from scientific research to the dissemination of findings to the public.

For the first year, the theme chosen is "The Animals of Pompeii," a subject that will also be the focus of the Park's next exhibition. It will be an opportunity to explore, through various disciplines, the relationship between animals and daily life in the ancient city.

Six curricular internships are available for students enrolled in specialization or doctoral programs at Italian universities. Scholars from fields such as archaeology, restoration, museology, history, classical philology, biology, archaeozoology, and art history, as well as related fields, are eligible to apply.

The activities will take place in person at the Pompeii Archaeological Park, approximately between March and April 2027, for a total of 150 hours to be completed over the course of two months. The program will be preceded by a three-day preparatory meeting.

Participants will receive a €700 allowance. Upon request, accommodations in the park's guesthouse can be arranged.

Applications must be submitted by November 22, 2026, via certified email to pa-pompei@pec.cultura.gov.it. The complete call for applications, including requirements, required documentation, and selection criteria, is available on the official website www.pompeiisites.org.

Before applying, interested parties should check with their university to ensure the internship is compatible with their study plan. For further information, please write to pompei.didattica@cultura.gov.it; requests must be received at least 15 days before the application deadline.