Minister Giuli on 230 million for Ostia Antica and Pompeii: "Money well spent"

A question time meeting was held yesterday, March 12, 2025, at the Chamber of Deputies with Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli, who was called to respond on the government’s strategies for the protection and enhancement of the national archaeological heritage. The meeting was particularly relevant in light of the recent findings at the sites of Ostia Antica and Pompeii, which have rekindled interest in the state of conservation and management of Italy’s cultural heritage.

Following is his speech in full:

“The excavation campaigns conducted have uncovered findings of inestimable cultural value to our country,” argues Alessandro Giuli. "On the one hand, the Jewish ritual bath, precisely, from the Roman period emerged during the excavation campaign at the Ostia Archaeological Park, which is unique, yes, unique in the Mediterranean area outside Israel. On the other, the monumental fresco on Dionysian cults accepts the first century B.C. emerged in Pompeii in the so-called House of Thiasos. These are in both cases exceptional discoveries, whose historical, artistic and ritual value confirms that we are proceeding in the right direction, that is, continuing to fund excavation activities at a time of maximum splendor for Italian and world archaeology, which with its parks and museums, in the case of Italy, registers increasingly high visitor numbers.

It is no coincidence that the discovery of the Jewish ritual bath came during the excavation campaign funded by the Ministry of Culture and carried out as part of the OPS project, Ostia Post Scriptum, in collaboration with the University of Catania and the Polytechnic University of Bari. It had been several decades since the park had carried out excavations; without the funding it would not have been possible to promote a campaign of archaeological investigations aimed at promoting research and improving the use of the site. Great satisfaction thus emerges from the resources invested through the General Directorate of Museums in preparing and implementing a nationwide plan of interventions aimed at enhancing the sites of cultural institutes along the two lines of planned maintenance and the promotion of archaeological research. In turn, the Pompeian discovery is the result of an excavation campaign that began about a year ago as part of the enhancement project Excavation securing and restoration of insula 10 of Regio IX over the past decade the Ostia and Pompeii parks have received funding totaling nearly 230 million euros, money well spent. The exceptional findings of the last few days,“ the minister continued, ”denote the need to continue the activities aimed at enabling the securing and restoration of the surrounding structures in order to fully enhance these findings.

For this reason, the Ostia Park has already requested extraordinary funding, which has been followed up. In addition, thanks to funds from the National Culture Plan plan for the Pompeii Archaeological Park amounting to 23 million euros, it will be possible to free up resources for the Park’s ordinary budget and complete the excavation of the House of Thiasos. In order to enrich the knowledge and enjoyment of these sites, it has been decided from the outset to make the Dionysian Thiasos environment accessible to visitors, and investigations are underway regarding the feasibility of initiatives to tell a wider audience about the new pictorial cycle and its historical and cultural context. Aware of the centrality of our cultural heritage to which we intend to ensure full promotion and enhancement with the new organizational regulations of the Ministry of Culture, the Central Institute for the Economic Enhancement and Promotion of Cultural Heritage has been created. These are further demonstrations of this government’s great sensitivity to the activities of excavation, research and protection of our immense cultural heritage."

Minister Giuli on 230 million for Ostia Antica and Pompeii: "Money well spent"

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.