The world-famous archaeological site of Pompeii could be the first time a non-Italian has been the next CEO, after a foreign search open to all candidates, Italy’s minister of culture said Thursday.
The ruined city that plunged into the ashes after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. it is the moment when the country has the greatest tourist charm visited after the Colosseum of Rome, having gained almost four million visits last year.
“This answerArray . . . will be watched with great interest around the world,” Italian Culture Minister Dario Francheschini said at an online press conference.
Pompeii, along with most Italian cultural sites, has been managed by an Italian. In 2015, for the first time, seven foreign administrators were appointed to some of the country’s most prestigious museums, such as Germany’s Eike Schmidt in the Uffizi galleries in Florence, in an effort to modernize their dusty bureaucratic operations, although appointments were not without controversy.
The names of applicants for the Pompeii position will be accepted until November 3 and a director will be selected until March, Francheschini said.
The large expans of 44 hectares (110 acres) is what remains of one of the richest cities in the Roman Empire. Layers of ash buried many buildings and elements in an almost intact state, adding bodies huddled with victims.
But the hugely popular site near Naples came here to symbolize decades of mismanagement of many Italian cultural treasures after a series of wall collapses aroused concerns, leading UNESCO to warn that it could be removed from its World Heritage list.
Before the coronavirus crisis hit in late February, Pompeii celebrated the completion of a $113 million recovery project, funded in a giant component through EU funds, other recovery projects continue.
Outgoing leader Massimo Osanna, who will be the new director of the Italian state’s museum formula, said he hoped his successor would continue with the policy put into position two years ago of planned maintenance “that we haven’t had in decades. “
This includes normal checks and inspections and the use of digitized knowledge to prioritize projects.
Nearly a third of the ancient city has not yet been discovered through archaeologists.
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