Digital storytelling accompanies the Park’s new direction: social media communities are growing, and the new “Segui il filo” format launches this autumn.
The Herculaneum Archaeological Park has reached the milestone of 70,000 Instagram followers. This achievement offers an opportunity to highlight the broader growth of the Park’s digital presence, as well as the evolution of its communication strategy—one designed to reflect and support the new direction initiated by Director Federica Colaiacomo, with an increasing focus on engaging with the public and expanding opportunities to discover and experience the heritage site.
The numbers reveal a community that extends far beyond mere followers. Instagram recorded 4.6 million views over the past twelve months—a 1,305.9% increase compared to the previous year—while Facebook, now boasting over 55,000 followers, reached 6.14 million views during the same period. These communities are complemented by YouTube users and, above all, the much broader audience reached daily through Reels, videos, images, and content that circulate well beyond the immediate follower base.
These figures testify not only to a quantitative increase but also to the Park’s growing ability to engage with diverse audiences through digital media.
An ability to build relationships, fostered by consolidating a recognizable visual identity, focusing on engagement and interaction with both physical and digital communities, balancing scientific rigor with accessible content, and developing audiovisual storytelling—with an increasingly important role played by Reels and formats capable of extending the heritage beyond the archaeological site’s physical boundaries.
It is precisely this ability to reach and involve different audiences which, in the new direction of the Park, becomes a tool to accompany new visiting opportunities and make the relationship between digital experience and physical experience of the heritage ever closer. Communication is thus not just information, but storytelling and accompaniment in the discovery of a Herculaneum that progressively expands its spaces of use.
“The growth of our digital community encourages us to continue in a direction that places audiences and their experience at the center. Digital channels represent a valuable space for bringing people closer to the heritage, sparking curiosity and knowledge, and guiding them toward discovering the site. We want the narrative of Herculaneum and the visitor experience to engage in an increasingly close dialogue, especially at a time when new opportunities for engagement will allow for the discovery of yet more facets of the ancient city,” states Director Federica Colaiacomo.
An initial expression of this journey will coincide with the new features launching this autumn. As access to the Park expands with the opening of new *domus*, “Segui il filo” (Follow the Thread) will launch—a new digital format designed to gradually guide the public in discovering the sites, stories, and new visiting opportunities.
Through brief visual narratives, details, and stories, the thread will guide the digital community to the threshold of the new spaces, interweaving heritage, research, and storytelling, and transforming the anticipation of discovery into part of the experience.
The 70,000 Instagram followers thus represent a milestone to celebrate, but above all, a new starting point.
Follow the thread: the new Herculaneum is waiting to be discovered.
Digital growth figures
- Instagram: 70.000 follower; 4,6 milioni di visualizzazioni negli ultimi 12 mesi (+1.305,9% rispetto all’anno precedente).
- Facebook: over 55,000 followers; 6.14 million views in the last 12 months.
- Autumn 2026: launch of the new “Segui il filo” format, dedicated to discovering the Park’s new openings.
