Workshop organised by Variabile K
Thanks to the Istituto Packard per i Beni Culturali
In collaboration with the Parco Archeologico di Ercolano
Coordinators
Jessica Paparone and Ottavia Semerari
Tutors
Sarah Senatore
Luigi Vangone
Photo & videos
Maria Anna Moschetti
10 days of activities at the Herculaneum Archaeological Park to explore and discover what lies beneath!
A workshop that introduces children to the world of research, with tutors and experts to help them understand, step by step, the boundaries of the ancient city of Herculaneum through the scientific investigations currently being carried out in the Archaeological Park and the surrounding area, as part of the 2025 core sampling campaign.
The children followed the campaign and were active participants in raising public awareness of the core sampling activities in town.
The activties held at the Archeological the Park were crucial in introducing the participants to the ongoing research.
Starting from what is visible today – just a small part of the ancient city – the children were guided to imagine what has not yet been unearthed, wondering how ancient Herculaneum might have extended beyond its known boundaries.
This initial exercise in imagination became the starting point for understanding the purpose of the core sampling campaign.
The children explored the topic in greater depth thanks to the collaboration with Domenico Camardo, lead archaeologist from the Istituto Packard per i Beni Culturali, who toghether with geologists and other experts carried out the work.
They saw the core-sampling machine in action, followed the extraction stages and, together with the experts, analysed the materials that had emerged from the subsoil after centuries. In this context, they met, among others, Prof. Aldo Cinque, Dr Carmela Guastaferro.
Parallely the workshop sessions at Villa Campolieto translated this knowledge into practical and creative activities. The pupils worked on maps, learning to read and relate the modern city to the ancient one, identifying landmarks from their daily lives to hypothesise the boundaries of ancient Herculaneum.
They then produced drawings, captions and informative materials on the core sampling campaign and the history of the excavations.
A key moment was the creation of a large illustrated panel (3x2m) depicting the seafront of Herculaneum, enriched with natural elements, scenes of daily life and iconographic references learnt during the workshop.
The workshop culminated in a public presentation day, during which the young people showcased their work in the public space, becoming true ambassadors for the community. On this occasion, the director of the Archaeological Park, Francesco Sirano, and the mayor, Ciro Buonajuto, conferred honorary citizenship of Herculaneum to each participant.
