On May 23, the Boat Pavilion and the Antiquarium will be open from 8:00 PM to midnight, offering a special evening opening with scientific insights into the collections. The evening will also feature a dramatized reading on the life of Hercules and his second labor, the slaying of the Lernaean Hydra, performed by children from the Peter Pan Primary School in Ercolano, while students from the Adriano Tilgher High School will read verses from Paolo Rumiz’s “Song for Europe.” At Villa Campolieto, workshops and a lively reading on the culture of food in ancient Ercolano.
The Herculaneum Archaeological Park is participating in the 2026 European Museum Night, now in its twentieth year. This initiative, promoted by the French Ministry of Culture and supported by UNESCO, the Council of Europe, and ICOM, will open the doors of approximately 3,000 sites across Europe for the evening on Saturday, May 23rd, offering visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in cultural heritage in a unique atmosphere. In Italy, state and civic museums are participating with extended hours and a symbolic admission fee of €1, excluding free admission provided by law.
For the evening of May 23rd, from 8:00 PM to midnight, the Park offers a rich program that combines guided tours of the collections, mythological narration, contemporary poetry, and educational activities. The program actively involves local schools as part of the Ercolano Local Reading Pact and the national “May of Books” campaign, promoted by the MiC Center for Books and Reading.
The evening’s program
Special opening of the Antiquarium and the Boat Pavilion
The Park’s scientific staff will accompany visitors with on-site lectures on the collections, offering a firsthand and in-depth explanation of the masterpieces housed in the two structures, which are usually closed to visitors in the evening. Access to the site is possible from Corso Resina 187 and Via dei Papiri Ercolanesi 19. Last admission is at 11:00 PM.
Dramatic Reading: “Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra” — Peter Pan Primary School, Ercolano
The children of the “Peter Pan” primary school of Ercolano will stage a dramatized reading dedicated to the childhood of Hercules and his fight against the Hydra of Lerna, taken from The Labors of Hercules: Mythology for Fun by Valentina Orlando. The performance will take place on the ground floor of the Antiquarium, in front of the extraordinary bronze fountain depicting the Hydra, originally placed in the center of the pool of the great Palestra of Herculaneum and today among the most evocative pieces in the collection.
A dialogue between young readers and the bronze masterpiece that inspired the story: the myth of the ancient city’s founding hero comes to life before our eyes.
Reading from “Song for Europe” by Paolo Rumiz — Adriano Tilgher High School in Ercolano
Students from the “Adriano Tilgher” High School in Ercolano—with which the Park has established an agreement for school-to-work training programs—will read selected passages from Paolo Rumiz’s “Song for Europe.” In this modern epic poem, ancient myth becomes a tool for interpreting the present: a young girl’s journey across the Mediterranean transforms into a tale of Europe’s origins and its current fractures, amidst migration, borders, and shared memories.
The reading will take place along the access road to the site: the verses will accompany visitors like a sonic threshold, an invitation to question the contemporary meaning of European identity before even crossing the threshold of the ancient Roman city.
At Villa Campolieto: lively activities at the exhibition “From Eggs to Apples: The Civilization of Food and the Pleasures of the Table in Herculaneum”
In parallel, in collaboration with Coopculture, the evening will extend to the Villa Campolieto spaces (Corso Resina 283, Ercolano), where the exhibition “From Eggs to Apples: The Civilization of Food and the Pleasures of the Table in Ercolano” will remain open and accessible until midnight, with two specially scheduled activities.
8:00 PM — “The Perfect Dish” | Tour/workshop (duration 120 minutes)
Participants will become aspiring nutritionists by discovering the importance of a balanced diet through a guided tour of the exhibition. After a brief introduction to food groups and their benefits, they will receive cutouts of ancient foods and, at the end of the tour, will be tasked with creating the most balanced meal possible. Younger visitors will have the opportunity to create the cutouts in the workshop. Open to everyone, including families. This activity is free with a €1 entrance ticket to the Villa.
10:00 PM — “Panem et Condimenta: Recipes, Remedies, and Curiosities” | Animated Reading (90 minutes)
A journey through flavors, customs, and curiosities about Roman food, guided by words drawn from ancient sources. Through a dramatized reading, Cato’s stern advice on peasant diets, Varro’s observations, Columella’s techniques, Galen’s bizarre remedies, and Pliny’s exotic condiments emerge. From humble farro soups to refined spiced banquets, the story intertwines gastronomy and culture: an engaging experience that reveals how food was much more than a necessity—an art, a medicine, and even an instrument of power. Open to all. Free activity with a €1 entrance ticket to the Villa.
Reservations on the Coopculture website: https://www.coopculture.it/it/poi/parco-archeologico-di-ercolano/
Ticket office at Villa Campolieto: villevesuviane.net/le-ville/villa-campolieto
An initiative for reading and community
The initiative is part of the Local Reading Pact of the city of Ercolano, which recognizes reading as a strategic lever for the cultural, civic, and social development of the community. The Ercolano Archaeological Park, in collaboration with the Municipality and other participating partners, identifies books and the practice of reading as a priority tool for improving individual and collective well-being, strengthening social cohesion, and developing critical thinking among citizens.
The theme chosen for the evening is linked to the “Singing Beauty” theme of May of Books 2026: poems, fairy tales, and stories that give voice to the hidden beauty of the world, accompanying readers of all ages in the discovery of wonder, imagination, and art as a universal language.
Practical information
Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
Opening hours: 8:00 PM – 12:00 AM (last admission 11:00 PM)
Park Access: Corso Resina 187 | Via dei Papiri Ercolanesi 19
Admission: €1.00 nominal fee (except where free admission is permitted by law) — max. 600 tickets available. Tickets for Villa Campolieto must be purchased at the Villa.
Tickets: online and at the Park ticket office until 11:00 pm on the day of the event (soon on the Coopculture website): https://www.coopculture.it/it/poi/parco-archeologico-di-ercolano/ )
Free parking with limited spaces:
- Istituto Comprensivo 1 “Giulio Rodinò” — Via IV Novembre 43
- Istituto Comprensivo “Iovino Scotellaro” — Traversa I IV Novembre 28
Paid parking:
- Herculaneum Parking — Via dei Papiri Ercolanesi (open till 24:00)
Info: ercolano.cultura.gov.it