Italian government appoints new head of Pompeii restoration project

  • 10 years ago
One of the world’s most treasured archaeological sites, the ancient city of Pompeii, has a new head of restoration.

Pompeii is a UNESCO World heritage site and was home to around 13,000 people when it was buried under ash from a volcanic eruption in 79 AD.

The EU has allocated 105 million euros for Pompeii to be spent by the end of next year.

Massimo Osanna, was recently appointed superintendent of the Archeological Site of Pompeii by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzy

“We are ready to re-start work immediately. There is an issue with inadequate drainage systems. We need to take decisive action on the entire archeological site,” said the new superintendent.

“So far, we’ve started to work on the third area, that is the most delicate, because the soil from the unexcavated area weighs down on this third area of the site. This could result in other issues and dangers,” Osanna added.

A series of recent collapses have sparked international outcry over the neglect of the site.

Pompeii attracts more than 2 million tourists each year, making it one of Italy’s most popular attractions.

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