Pompei's Antiquarium Reopens After 36 Years; Italy's Cultural Blue Helmets Ready for Deployment

After 36 years of closure following the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, the Antiquarium of Pompeii has finally reopened with a new multimedia museum layout that immerses visitors in the atmosphere of ancient Pompeii and the Vesuvius eruption. The operation cost just over €2 million directly, as noted by General Luigi Curatoli, director general of the Grande Progetto Pompei, with a total cost of around €8 million including various interventions. The project also recovered an archaeological area of the so-called Villa Imperiale, reconstructing rooms and furnishings of Roman-era domus, and added a modern bookshop and space for temporary exhibitions. Separately, Italy's 'Blue Helmets of Culture'—a team of 31 architects, art historians, restorers, archaeologists, and expert carabinieri—have been trained and are ready to deploy to sites like Palmyra, where ISIS destruction requires recovery. At the Girolamini Library, a school for digitizing books is being established, with negotiations underway with the Federico II University, announced by deputy prosecutor Vincenzo Piscitelli. Filmmaker Marco Bellocchio, a guest, called the library 'perfect for a film' but clarified he would not direct one, noting the story of theft and heroes uncovering the crimes.