A new museum dedicated to the ancient Roman city of Pompeii is about to open in Naples, Italy.
The space will cover 103,000 square meters (1.1 million square feet) and was designed by architect Paolo Desideri. It will be located in the former Albergo dei Poveri building, also known as Palazzo Fuga. The new institution will serve as a sister museum to the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN), hence the name MANN 2.
The building has been vacant for decades, and the new museum is part of a larger citywide revitalization effort to improve tourism. A large number of artifacts, which were previously stored in warehouses due to a lack of exhibition space, will now be housed on the previously abandoned site.
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One section of the museum will focus on the ancient city of Pompeii, which was covered in ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The museum houses more than 40,000 artifacts recovered from the ancient city.
The exhibition will focus on the city’s remains and document the discovery process in the 18th century. There will also be a series of exhibitions dedicated to famous archaeologists of history, such as Giuseppe Fiorelli, Vittorio Spinazzola and Amedeo Maiuri. In addition, there will be interactive rooms and study areas.
“In the Fuga Palace we do not want to replicate the collections that MANN itself already tells very well: instead, we will create a dedicated space that tells the history of the rediscovery of the Vesuvian site through artifacts, reconstructions, panels and multimedia support”, Massimo Osanna, director of the Italian Museum, told collector.
Parts of the MANN 2 building will also house the National Archaeological Museum of Naples and branches of the National Library of Naples; more than half of the building will be used as classrooms for the University of Naples Federico II. A bookstore, café and panoramic terrace will also be part of the renovation.
The €158 million ($170 million) project is expected to be completed by mid-2026.
