When Giancarlo Galan was recently nominated Italy’s
new culture minister after Sandro Bondi resigned from the position earlier this
year, one of his first priorities has been saving Pompeii from ruin.
Set to start immediately, a new phase of restoration
efforts will make use of laser scanners for 3D-mapping of the site. The
government has already set aside some 100 million euro for work on the site,
but more is needed, and Galan hopes it will come from the private sector.
Galan has said that he has been seeking private
sponsorship to help fund restorations to the site.
He recently announced a bid to secure private funding
in Pompeii and keep the archaeological area’s 2,000-year-old structures from
crumbling under the force of the elements and time (see Italy news TF 132).
Bids for sponsorship will have the aim of getting
‘private groups to sponsor even single structures,’ he told the press, adding
‘In an archaeological area of this size, the urgency never goes away, but the
restoration starts tomorrow.’
Pompeii, the largest and most visited archaeological
site in the world, received more than 2.2 million visitors last year alone.
Did you know?
An exhibition on Pompeii is
currently running at New York’s Discovery Times Square until September 5. The
exhibition, Pompeii, the Exhibit: Life and Death in the Shadow of Vesuvius,
captures the last moments of the ancient city of Pompeii before it was covered
by volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted 2,000 years ago. The show features
a short film, over 200 artefacts from everyday life and body casts of those who
perished in the eruption. Curated by the Soprintendenza di Archaeologica Napoli
e Pompei and organized by Running Subway Productions, a portion of the
exhibition proceeds will go toward restorations in the site. For more
information, see http://www.discoverytsx.com/pompeii.