The serial site no. 829, registered with an overall surface area of 98.35 hectares, related to a ”core area” or “property”, now has a buffer zone, a significantly large area of 1,743.05 hectares. Approved by the World Heritage Committee in September 2023 with Decision 45 COM 8B.61, the buffer zone consists of the municipalities (comuni) of Pompei, Boscoreale, Torre Annunziata, Boscotrecase, Trecase, Castellammare di Stabia, Scafati, Ercolano, Torre del Greco and Portici. It stems from the need to create a further level of protection for the World Heritage Site, helping to maintain and enhance the values of the site recognised UNESCO since 1997.
The integrity of the values is ensured first and foremost by safeguarding the historic urban landscape in which the perception of the site is stratified.
The main criterion for defining the extent of the buffer zone was formulated in response to the following questions: “How can we ensure the visibility of the site? How can we preserve the view from the site so that the surrounding landscape contributes to increasing its value and underlining its characteristics?”
There are three main elements of the landscape that distinguish the territory:
- Vesuvius and the rural landscape to the north of the site of Pompeii;
- the Mediterranean Sea, which constitutes an important factor for the development and understanding of the ancient city;
- the river Sarno, which historically represented an important line of communication with the inland zones and still remains a characteristic feature of the modern landscape.
Monitoring and guiding urban development in this area entails protecting the visibility of the UNESCO site. However, it also means steering local bodies and private partners towards a common strategy aimed at transforming the values of the landscape into a source of sustainable development of the territory.
In 2018 an agreement was signed between the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion, the Regione Campania (the regional government of Campania) and the municipalities (comuni) which form part of the buffer zone. The comuni, coordinated by the Greater Pompeii Unit (Unità Grande Pompei), are represented by a management committee that acts as a decision-making body for implementing the strategic plan. The main objectives include the execution of urban renewal and regeneration projects, the improvement of interconnections and access routes, and the environmental restoration of damaged landscapes. In 2021, a shared strategy involving both public and private partners was launched to encourage the active participation of local communities.
As a result of these actions, which have had a significant impact on the population, in particular with regard to identity awareness and traditional knowledge systems, numerous initiatives have been set up aimed at private actors. These have led to experimentation with forms of use of the archaeological context that are consistent with the characteristics and importance of the site and, at the same time, are economically sustainable since they are economically productive.
In the buffer zone area, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii is also committed to the restoration of buildings of architectural and artistic importance, which are partly already being used as exhibition venues. They are used to organise activities designed to promote the inclusion and continuing education of young people and adults, with the aim of creating networks and opportunities in the local context. The buildings in question are the Reggia di Quisisana (royal palace) at Castellammare di Stabia, the former Reale Fabbrica d’Armi (munitions factory or Spolettificio) at Torre Annunziata and the Real Polverificio Borbonico (gunpowder factory) at Scafati.
https://grandepompei.beniculturali.it/
One of the most important investments currently underway, targeted at the community of young people in the buffer zone, is called “Sogno di Volare” (Dream of Flying). It is designed to raise awareness that cultural heritage is not just confined to physical boundaries, but lies at the heart of the identity of a territory. It can become part of the activities geared towards development, social change and the solution to the questions posed by the community.
