Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata

• A series of structural collapses at the property (issue resolved)
• Inadequate restoration and maintenance; lack of skills (issue resolved)
• Building projects in the vicinity of the property (possible impact of the project of visitor centre at Torre Annunziata and storage facility project in Pompei)
• Management system
• Inadequate funding
• Ineffective drainage systems
• Visitor pressure 
• Need to propose a new buffer zone

Total amount granted: USD 183 487: Italian Funds-in-Trust

On 1 December 2020, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/829/documents/, and presents progress in conservation issues previously addressed by the Committee, as follows:

• Funding has been provided to update the Management Plan of the property. Work on the document started in early 2020; the document is intended to become a practical tool for the site management, tackling also topics of sustainable use of the site, knowledge dissemination and the involvement of public and private actors of the region into the management;
• Both the financial resources and the human capacities have been secured and improved for the site management, despite of losses from visitors’ tickets due to the COVID-19 crisis;
• Detailed reporting has been provided in relation to the hydrogeological stabilization works carried out at the Pompei component, which is now nearing completion. The reporting includes a brief summary of the new excavation results, carried out in relation to the stabilization and consolidation works of excavation profiles and fronts;
• Comprehensive description is included on the conservation status of the 13 buildings in Pompei that were noted as endangered by the 2013 mission. All of these have been stabilized and restored or are under the process of conservation. In addition, stabilization and restoration has been carried out between 2018 and 2020 for buildings and decorative elements at Pompei and Torre Annunziata, and the programme of planned maintenance has begun. Visitor access and routes have also been devised and are assisted now with an online application;
• In Herculaneum the first cycle of scheduled maintenance has started in January 2019. As a result, the House of the Bicentenary has already been opened for visitors and other houses will follow after restoration. Two digital projects for visitors are being developed for this component to allow the remote discovery of the site;
• The project at Porta Nola is reported to be progressing; the site management at Pompei is preparing a new tender for the construction;
• A report and documentation have been submitted to UNESCO in relation to the plans for constructing a visitor centre at Torre Annunziata;
• A minor boundary modification proposal for the revision of the buffer zone has been submitted to UNESCO, which will be examined by the World Heritage Committee under item 8 of the Agenda (Document WHC/21/44.COM/8B).

The management system of the property demonstrates now a more harmonious cooperation between the responsible bodies, and their joint efforts for updating the Management Plan should be welcomed, as well as the intention of the site management teams to upgrade the document for becoming a basis of a participatory management approach on regional and local levels. The State Party should be encouraged to ensure that the document will serve as a strategic management tool that is continued to be accompanied with short/medium and long-term action plans. Further progress has been made to improve the human capacities of the site management bodies and also their internal organisation efficiency. In spite of the drastic COVID-19 related decrease in ticket sales for visitors, the 2020/2021-year financial resources for the site management is stable, also due to relief funds from the cultural ministry.

The successful progress of the hydrogeological stabilization works at Pompei should be noted with satisfaction. The new areas excavated, which were the result of the associated archaeological surveys, underwent conservation and restoration, these also allowed deeper insight into the old excavation methodologies and reinterpretation of some earlier finds.

Further progress is noted in stabilizing and improving the condition of structures and decorative surfaces both at the 13 buildings at Pompei, reported to be at risk, and at all components of the property. A stable cycle of maintenance routine has now been put in place. More Roman houses have been made accessible for visitors at Pompei and Herculaneum, and both the site security, visitor services, management, and accessibility (also by digital tools) were enhanced.

The legal proceedings concerning administrative aspect of the project at Porta Nola have been concluded, and the project can now be re-launched. While the State Party report includes some information and drawings, images related to the planned storage building, it should be noted with regret that its detailed design plans have not been submitted to the World Heritage Centre as requested by the last Decision of the Committee. A more complete documentation is to be requested in order to clarify that the project will have no negative impacts on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and before any tender procedures or other commitments are undertaken.

Project plans for the new visitor centre, immediately adjacent to the Torre Annunziata component of the property, were submitted to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for review in May 2019, and recommendations and comments were transmitted to the State Party in August 2019 in the form of an ICOMOS Technical Review. The State Party was advised to continue suspending the construction works and revise the design plans until a full range of options have been explored that ensure protection and enhancement of the property’s OUV, and the full design proposal have been submitted to the World Heritage Centre and reviewed. Further design plans were submitted by the State Party in January 2021, but these documents reflected that there has been no attempt to address the matters and advice outlined in the Technical Review. The State Party should, therefore, be requested to revise the design plans in line with the advice provided in the 2019 ICOMOS Technical Review, and be reminded of the importance of informing the World Heritage Centre regularly and in due time about any project plans and proposals in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

Among the factors affecting the property, issues related to the management system, inadequate funding, and threats related to ineffective drainage system are progressing, but have not yet been fully resolved.