The Archaeological Park of Pompeii, in southern Italy, announced a series of new developments, including the launch of nominal tickets and the imposition of a limited number of visitors, which cannot exceed 20 per day.
According to the management of the tourist spot, during the peak period, from April 1st to October 31st, specific restrictions will be in force according to the tour times.
Thus, from 9 am to 12 pm, a maximum of 15 entries will be authorized, while from noon to 17:30 pm, 5 will be allowed. Tickets can be purchased on site or online.
“Pompeii cannot be associated with mass tourism, but must aim for quality,” declared Gabriel Zuchtriegel, holding up his personal ticket, the one that is now mandatory to enter the excavations.
According to him, the changes were made for safety reasons, both for visitors and for the protection of cultural heritage. The initiative will be tested during the low season and, later, the numbers will be examined calmly in view of the days with the highest influx.
Zuchtriegel also explained that the aim is to combat scalpers, who force tourists to buy tickets that are resold at higher prices and with additional “services” already included in the usual cost of the ticket, in addition to distributing visitors to other parts of the park (Boscoreale, Torre Annunziata, Villa dei Misteri, Civita Giuliana and Stabia).
The new measures are being introduced after the park recorded a record summer, with more than 4 million visitors and peaks of more than 36 attendances, on one of the first Sundays of the month, when museums and archaeological parks have free entry.
The Pompeii Archaeological Park is famous throughout the world for its constant excavations, which yield new discoveries about the remote past of the municipality, destroyed in 79 AD by a major eruption of Mount Vesuvius. (HANDLE)
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