Great Pompeii Project
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Archaeological Area of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, Italy, n. 829 1. Executive summary of the report Soon after the collapse of the Schola Armaturarum, UNESCO carried out several missions, involving ICOMOS and UNESCO experts, at the sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, specifically on 2-4 December 2010 and 10 – 13 January 2011, on 7-10 January 2013 and 8-12 November 2014. These inspections led to the formulation of a set of recommendations, which have ultimately been summarised in decision 39 COM 7B, adopted at the 39th meeting of the World Heritage Committee, to which this report is a reply. Over the years, many steps forward have been made in the conservation and management of the property. Regarding the Grande Progetto Pompeii (Great Pompeii Project), the State Party has ensured its continuation with a further European financing of 45 M€ and by maintaining the General Project Management organisation and the Great Pompeii Unit until 31 December 2019. A further two items of funding have been received: 40 M€ from the Italian government and 75 M€ from the Special Superintendency of Pompeii, which has been granted financial, administrative and management autonomy. The more recent inspection by UNESCO/ICOMOS identified 5 buildings at risk in the site of Pompeii: Casa dei Casti Amanti, Casa delle Nozze d’argento, Schola Armaturarum, Casa di Trebius Valens and Casa dei Ceii. Conservation interventions were then planned for all these buildings, which, to date, are either still underway or have been completed, or which will soon start. Almost all the legal problems that prevented the start of the works have been solved and now it will be possible to carry out the safety works on and restore the structures of the Schola Armaturarum; open the Antiquarium to the public; and continue the improvement works on the Casina dell’Aquila. The dispute relating to the works for completing the building at Porta Nola, however, is still on-going. Other works still under way are the rainwater drainage works for the as yet unexcavated areas, while the hydrogeological risk mitigation works and the safety works relating to the excavation faces in the Regiones I, III, IV, V, VIII and IX are approaching completion. The Management Plan has also been completed, which takes into account the recommendations resulting from the Reactive Monitoring Inspection in 2014. The State Party has found no other internal or external threats to maintaining the Outstanding Universal Value. The State Party also intends to build a new visitor centre for the Villa A site at Torre Annunziata. Once completed, the designs for the new building, as well as the valorisation project for the villa that was unearthed during the preliminary excavation works for the building, will be sent to the Committee. 2. Response to the Decision of the World Heritage Committee 2.1 Seek the extension of the Grande Progetto Pompei (GPP) and assess the resources needed to sustain the future management and the conservation of the property. The total investment for the management and conservation of the property was estimated at 160 M€, in the 2017-2019 period, as follows: 45 M€ by the 2014-2020 PON “Culture and Development”; 40 M€ by the Italian government (see resolution no. 3 of 1 May 2016, approved by the CIPE - Interdepartmental Committee for Economic Planning); 75 M€ by the Special Superintendency of Pompeii. 2.2 Include the additional five buildings that remain at risk, identified by the Reactive Monitoring mission, in the safeguarding programme Regarding the five domuses thought to be at risk - Casa dei Casti Amanti, Casa delle Nozze d’argento, Schola Armaturarum, Casa di Trebius Valens and Casa dei Ceii – the following may be reported: Casa dei Casti Amanti and Casa delle Nozze d’Argento: the projects for the safety works and restoration of the structures have been commissioned and defined. Schola Armaturarum: a project has been defined to cover and restore the wall paintings, while the restoration of the floor decorations has yet to be completed. Casa di Trebio Valente: works will be carried out within the framework of the GPP M - Safety works for the excavation faces and mitigation of the hydrogeological risks in the Regiones I, III and IX, IV and V of the archaeological site, the contract for which has been awarded and the works are set to begin in the first quarter of 2017 Casa dei Ceii: works are under way for the restoration of the roofing and a crowdfunding action for the restoration of the garden paintings. 2.3 Resolve legal issues preventing necessary works at Pompei, as a matter of urgency, in order to the required consolidation works During the year, several legal problems were solved highlighted in the Reactive Monitoring Inspection. As mentioned above, it has therefore been possible to carry out the works for the restoration and protection of the Schola Armaturarum. At the same time, the problems relating to visitor access to the Antiquarium were also solved, and it was opened to visitors in April 2016. Works are under way at the Casina dell’Aquila, for its future use as a cafeteria. Still ongoing is only the dispute related to the completion of the building at Porta Nola. 2.4 Complete the management plan taking into consideration the recommendations provided by Reactive Monitoring Inspection The Management Plan has been completed and takes into account the recommendations received after the Reactive Monitoring Inspection in 2014 and will be sent to the Committee on 1 December 2016. 2.5 Carefully monitor the result of drainage work in Regiones III e IX and, if successful, develop a similar programme for the other unexcavated parts of Regio IV e V, and possibly I The project for the drainage works in the Regiones III and IX is nearing completion, as also the connection of the drainage systems on the unexcavated elevation to the Conte Sarno Canal. In the meantime, the designs relating to the works for ensuring the safety of the excavation faces and mitigating the hydrogeological risk in the Regiones I, III and IX, IV and V of the archaeological site, have been completed, the relevant contracts awarded and the works - totalling 12,916,939-20 M€ - will commence in the first quarter of 2017. The planning activities under the CIPE financing provide for the safety works for the southern excavation faces (Regio VIII) totalling 34 M€. 2.6 Seek to maintain the staffing levels after the GPP has been concluded and integrate the temporarily provided wardens into the regular system, in order to be able to open the property to the public on a permanent basis Law no. 125 of 6 August 2015, converting law-decree no. 78 of 19 June 2015, provided for the completion of the extraordinary phase of the Grande Progetto Pompei (Great Pompeii Project) by 31 December 2015, a year earlier than the deadline set out in the provision establishing the Project in 2013. However, law no. 21 of 31 January 2016, converting law decree no. 210 of 30 December 2015, has ensured the functions of General Project Manager, and the activities of the support structure, until 31 January 2019. Under said law, the General Project Management will become a part of the Superintendency of Pompeii, so that once the extraordinary phase is over, the Great Pompeii Project will return to a situation of normality, albeit within a much more congruent timescale than originally expected. 3. Other current conservation issues identified by the State Party which may have an impact on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value No other problems have been identified, such as to affect the property’s Outstanding Universal Value 4. Construction of a new reception and service building for Villa A of Torre Annunziata Villa A at Oplontis is located within the dense and highly deteriorated urban fabric of the modern-day city of Torre Annunziata, and features inadequate visitor facilities. To requalify the entrance to the site and improve the visitor services, the Special Superintendency of Pompeii has designed a building designated to house the visitor centre, offices and a warehouse for the finds unearthed at the site; the new visitor centre also features disabled access. Based on a prior project of 2008, archaeological excavations were carried out, which led to the discovery of the sea facing facade of the villa; therefore, it was possible to design a building that fits well into the new archaeological surroundings, while another project also provides for the valorisation of the remains that emerged during the excavations. The new building project, which is still being developed, will be sent to the Committee as soon as possible. 5. Public access to the state of conservation report The State Party accepts the publication of the entire report. THE GENERAL MANAGER Prof. Massimo OSANNA SUMMARY SHEET BEEN IMPLENTING GPP CONCERNING: STATE OF CONSERVATION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE PROPERTY “ARCHAEOLOGICAL AREAS OF POMPEII, HERCULANEUM, AND TORRE ANNUNZIATA”. DECISION 39 COM 7B.80 BONN 2015. a. Report on the status of the GPP projects (concluded, currently under way, or to be put out to tender) and the financial resources deployed, from November 2014 to November 2016. A table summarising the state of progress of the Great Pompeii Project as at 31 October 2016 is attached here; to which we would add that during 2015 and 2016, in compliance with a specific legal provision1, detailed six-monthly reports on the progress of the Great Pompeii Project were sent to the Italian parliament, and detailed updates were provided on the occasion of the hearings of the Culture Committees of the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies.