On September 26 and 27, the site is participating in the event promoted by the Ministry of Culture, themed “Protecting Heritage: Renewing, Resisting, Reinventing.” Scheduled activities include the thematic tour “Resisting Time: Writing in Herculaneum” and, on Saturday evening, the special opening event “Love and War”—featuring theater, music, and dance within the illuminated ancient city.
The Herculaneum Archaeological Park is once again participating in the European Heritage Days (GEP)—Europe’s largest cultural event, promoted in Italy by the Ministry of Culture—scheduled for September 26 and 27, 2026. This year’s edition, which has met with great public success—resulting in all tour slots selling out—is dedicated to the theme “Protecting Heritage: Renewing, Resisting, Reinventing,” highlighting the importance of preserving the cultural and historical identity of communities.
Daytime visits: “Resisting Time: Writing in Herculaneum”
On Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27, the Park is offering educational and cultural activities focused on written sources from the Roman era—such as wax tablets, carbonized papyri, graffiti, and inscriptions—exploring both the knowledge they provide and their preservation. A conservator, an archaeologist, and an architect from the Park will guide adult visitors on a themed tour of the key sites where the documentary archives of Herculaneum were discovered, with the participation of Professor Maria Vittoria Bramante (UniPegaso), a legal historian and epigraphist. The experience will be further enriched by the “Gruppo Storico Oplontino,” featuring an educational display of Roman writing instruments and a short dramatized performance.
For families with children, the “Cera una volta” (Once Upon a Wax) experiential workshop is offered in conjunction with a guided tour of the site; during the activity, young participants will try their hand at Latin writing using a stylus on wax tablet replicas, accompanied by a dramatized scene titled “Il segreto della tabula” (The Secret of the Tabula).
Special evening opening: “Love and War.” Theater, music, and dance in the illuminated ancient city.
On Saturday, September 26, the Park will open its gates for a special evening dedicated to the connection between *eros* and *polemos*—love and war—explored through dance, music, and the spoken word, following the format of the “Fridays at Herculaneum” series. Visitors will be free to wander the streets, shops, and *domus* of ancient Herculaneum—illuminated by an evocative artistic lighting design—and encounter seven performances along the way (three dance, two musical, and two theatrical) that will be repeated cyclically throughout the evening.
“European Heritage Days offer a valuable opportunity to share with the public not only the beauty of Herculaneum but also the daily preservation work that makes it possible. With ‘Resisting Time,’ we are opening a window onto an extraordinary—though often lesser-known—aspect of our heritage: ancient writing. We are doing so alongside the professionals—restorers, archaeologists, and architects—who care for these sites every day. On the evening of the 26th, however, we want the public to experience the ancient city in a different light—suspended between memory and wonder—where various artistic expressions engage in a dialogue with the illuminated ruins. This captures the deeper meaning of this year’s theme: protecting heritage also means knowing how to renew it, making it vibrant and accessible to all.”
declares Federica Colaiacomo, Director of the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum.
Update: sold out. All tour slots are sold out for both days; the demand for participation has exhausted the available spots, confirming the public’s growing interest in the Park’s initiatives for European Heritage Days.