14 Jan 2019
Herculaneum museum opens after four decade delay
BY Andy Knaggs
A new museum has opened its doors in Italy 44 years after the building housing it was completed.
Built to house relics from the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum, the Antiquarium museum in Ercolano, near Naples, opened last month, with its debut exhibition running until September.
Since its completion, €400,000 (US$461,000, £362,000) has been spent to refurbish the Antiquarium and make it ready to open, resulting in a 400sq m (1300sq ft) covered, air-conditioned space with new energy-efficient systems and video surveillance cameras.
Similar to Pompeii, Herculaneum was devastated by the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Called SplendOri: Luxury in the Ornaments of Herculaneum, the exhibition presents around 200 objects, including jewels, coins, candlesticks, bronzes and glassware, that have been excavated from Herculaneum and the ancient beach where people gathered to try to flee from the terrifying smoke, rock and ash being flung from the volcano.
"There will never be enough explanations to justify this delay, and there are many", said Francesco Sirano, site director of the Ercolano Archaeological Park speaking to The Arts Newspaper.
"Having a building and not being able to use it was, for me, like a real thorn in the side, and to see these environments live repays me for every effort."
Despite the 44-year wait, the museum's lifespan in its existing format could be short-lived, with plans to build a new, modern facility to house the Herculaneum artefacts.
In 2015, plans were announced by the Italian minister of culture to build a new museum with designs by architect Renzo Piano and financing from philanthropist David Packard. While still in the works, the plans have stalled, leading to the "temporary" solution of the Antiquarium until new facilities "corresponding to modern museographic requirements" can be realised.
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