Equipping themselves with helmets, capes and torches, from today the most adventurous visitors will be able to discover the underground route of the Theater of the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum. Finally, in fact, the evocative eighteenth-century tunnels return to welcome the public (in groups of 12 people) with a bi-weekly event, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which will continue until November 9th (with a break in the summer months). THE THEATER D ‘HERCULANUM AND THE EXCAVATIONS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURYAlso buried, together with the rest of the city, by the eruption of 79 AD – and today located outside the archaeological excavations -, the Theater of Herculaneum attracted the interest of many scholars and curious people in the eighteenth century who visited Naples as a stop on their Grand Tour. In fact, the tunnels that can still be explored today date back to that era, from which some of the most beautiful statues in the history of ancient art emerged, originally placed in the four lateral niches and today an integral part of the collection preserved at the MANN – National Archaeological Museum of Naples. THE TUNNELS OF THE THEATER OF HERCULANE REOPEN “The cyclical reopening of the Theater”, declares the director of the Park Francesco Sirano, “represents for the entire Vesuvian area the possibility of a journey into history: it is This is where everything started, when the theater was accidentally discovered and the investigations that led to the discovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii were started.” Furthermore, he adds, “the theater is also located in the heart of the historic center of Ercolano, and can easily become a stop to discover the other beauties and points of interest of the modern city, starting from the famous and colorful Pugliano market and the Museum Virtual Archaeology”.[Immagine in apertura: Teatro antico di Ercolano, Parco Archeologico di Ercolano. Photo Metelli]
