For the archeology nerds among us, there are plenty of intriguing sites, burial grounds and remnants of ancient history dotted all over the planet, but few are as eerily fascinating as Pompeii.
For a cheeky recap, Mount Vesuvius erupted way back in 79 AD, blanketing the entire city and many of its 10,000 residents under a black of ash, preserving them until they were discovered in the sixteenth century. It was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Today, Pompeii Archeological Park is one of Italy’s most visited cultural landmarks, and a record breaking four million – four million – people flocked to see it over the summer this year.
That’s a lot of people for such an old site to take, so it’s hardly surprising that a brand-new cap on visitor numbers has just been announced by the park’s director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel. According to the Associated Press, he said: ‘We are working on a series of projects to lift the human pressure on the site, which could pose risks both for visitors and the heritage (that is) so unique and fragile.’
From November 15, a daily cap of 20,000 visitors will be implemented and people hoping to explore Pompeii will need to book a time slot and acquire a personalised ticket. The plan is to help manage crowd flow and preserve the ruins.
‘We are aiming for slow, sustainable, pleasant and non-mass tourism and above all widespread tourism throughout the territory around the UNESCO site, which is full of cultural jewels to discover,’ said Zuchtriegel.
Site managers are also hoping to redistribute visitors to other nearby ancient sites which are part of ‘Greater Pompeii’, such as Stabia, Torre Annunziata and Boscoreale, and a free shuttle bus service will be available.
For more information, check out the official Pompeii Sites webpage here.
More on Italy’s overtourism measures
Destinations across Italy are buckling under the pressure of overtourism right now. From Venice’s launch of a tourist tax and the brand-new nightly fees to the bans on icecream and the crowd restrictions on this popular Amalfi coastal path, the country is making moves to redistribute its visitors. So, here are some of the country’s most beautiful, lesser-known towns and villages that are well worth a visit.
Did you see that a major new art gallery is finally opening in this Italian city next month?
Plus: Is Italy about to lose its €1 espresso?
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