The Herculaneum Archaeological Park is an institution belonging to the Italian Ministry of Culture, created by Italian Ministerial Decree no. 44 of 23 January 2016 and endowed with organisational, economic, financial, accounting and scientific autonomy with the aim of managing the protection and promotion of the archaeological area of Herculaneum, including Villa dei Papiri (Villa of the Papyri) and the underground theatre. From 2023, Villa Sora in Torre del Greco will also fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Park.
Since 2001, Herculaneum has benefited from the continuous activity of a public-private partnership with the Packard Humanities Institute, a philanthropic foundation operating in Italy through the Packard Institute for Cultural Heritage, which contributes to the conservation and promotion of the site through the Herculaneum Conservation Project (HCP) and collaboration with other partners.
Since 1997, the archaeological area of Herculaneum has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, as part of Site 829 “Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata”, comprising the ancient cities of Pompeii – with the Villa of the Mysteries – and Herculaneum – with the Underground Theatre and the Villa of the Papyri – and Villa A (Villa of Poppaea) and Villa B (Villa of Lucius Crassius Tertius) in Torre Annunziata
