HERCULANEUM BEATS LOCKDOWN BLOCK WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
A number of curators of Italy's major museums and archaeological sites have met the challenge of the pandemic lockdowns and visitor restrictions with imaginative and positive initiatives, using tools like the social network to keep their public in contact.
One of the most successful has been the site of the Roman city of Herculaneum, one of Italy's most popular tourist attractions before the clamp down. Director Francesco Sirani launched a highly successful video series “I Lapilli del Parco di Ercolano” in 2020, followed by “I Lapilli sotto la cenere” (The Lapilli under the Ash) that included overviews of the site filmed by drones, a virtual tour of the ruined city by Sirani and a focus on the recently discovered skeleton of a man believed to be a Roman official who was part of the attempted rescue squad sent to the doomed city. The Archaeological Park has just launched a third series “From Lapilli to Magma”, which will follow the work of archaeologists and restorers working on new areas of the site.
The initiative has attracted record visitor figures during the brief periods of opening last year, that included the special event centred on leisure and pleasure in ancient Herculaneum: “Gli Ozi di Ercole” (roughly translated as “Hercules' Indolence”).
The videos (in Italian) are available on the Herculaneum Park's media links: Youtube, Facebook and Instagram. Meanwhile, the site has now opened again to visitors with restricted numbers. Full vaccination certificate (Green Pass) required as well as face mask.
Info: Tel. 0039.081 7324321 https://ercolano.beniculturali.it
