Description

The project aim is to improve the visit offer of the archaeological Park of Paestum, in particular for those who are affected by disabilities, through the construction of suitable paths and structures; moreover it is finalized to the containment of the energetic requirement by means of adjustment works, restoration and retraining of some areas. By the end of the project, people affected by disabilities will be facilitated to visit the Park in different way, eg the adding of a radio that sends signals to the electronic sticks of the visually impaired to help them along the way. Thanks to this activities there has been an increase of this type of visitor. The project is part of a wider intervention plan, which is the management of the Park planned over the years. This consists in making the Park more accessible, more orderly, easier to maintain (more preservable), as well as more knowable, actually now a great knowledge of what is below the park is hidden. The planned redevelopment of 78,800 square meters is currently only actually involving an area of 43,925. After the approval of the project, which took place in November 2016, the start of the works, set for the beginning of the following year, was postponed to 3rd May 2019. The final and testing phase, scheduled for 1st January 2020, still remains to be completed.
The public cost is € 9,023,947.36, of which 6,767,961 financed by the European Union and 2,255,987 by the Rotation Fund. Payments monitored just amount to 37% of the total. In the three-year period 2019-2021, were allocated respectively 1,031,720.33 (11%), 1,043,776.3 (11%), to then reach, in 2021, the current sum of 3,391,202.35.

What we found out

Progress

Thanks to the answers received by the archaeologist Francesco Uliano Scelza, we learned that the project is completed and the final testing is awaited. The final testing is the final act of the public works with which the work is declared compliant with the project (ex art.102 of the dlgs. 50/2016).

Results

Useful and effective

In economic terms: monitoring is difficult to carry out; in fact, when the project ended, the covid pandemic began; for this reason it wasn’t possible to measure greater attractiveness compared to external users (for example there were no school trips), only in the summer period large masses of people were registered (always within the limits of the capacities allowed by the Covid emergency) .
In terms of efficiency, the result is good; from an energy point of view, the current electrical system consumes less than the previous one; the sewage system avoids the accumulation and dispersion of various types of waste; the services are more usable (toilets, services for the public and employees), there is a more comprehensive and rational waste evacuation network (this too weighs in terms of costs).
In terms of knowledge, extraordinary results have been achieved: the excavations carried out have made it possible to better understand what was already known and to identify what was previously unknown (some isolated areas, ancient houses; the walls, which now are they manage to date and get to know better also from a structural point of view).
Then there is the conservative aspect, the restoration, that was carried out in the part of the walls and the built-up area, which will ensure a greater chance of lasting over time, and will facilitate visits and studies.
Finally, there is an increase in use: the areas studied recently, before the PON, were totally inaccessible; also for the members of the park itself, as they were abandoned in the woods, which in addition to compromising access, also compromised its conservation.
This has allowed the public to benefit more from the archaeological area.
Regarding the walkway and parking (new benches), the path is more rational as well as less tiring.
Finally, a space was created for outdoor socialization and educational activities.

Risks

The project does not take part on the structures with the aim of compromising their statics and function, but decreases the level of risk that was previously in the park, classified as high.
It must be taken account that by carrying out operations of modernization, restoration, excavation ... the aspect that the Park had previously changed.
For this reason, it is appropriate to take stock of the variation with respect to the alteration of the context, since by modifying the territory with the aim of improving it, one runs the risk of causing an excessively aggressive impact.

Results and Impact of the monitoring

Investigation method

How was the information collected?

• Web research
• Visit to the project's location, documented by pictures or videos
• Interview with people responsible for the project's planning

We interviewed Dr. Francesco Uliano Scelza, archaeologist of the Park.

Main questions

1) What should have been the timing of the project?
2) Is it considered that the archaeological site of Paestum provides more tourists to the Cilento? Is it useful to finance interventions in the park?

Main answers

1) The project should have lasted 24 months, which were reduced to 10 months following an improvement bid by the winner of the tender. 2) The forecast is that the number of tourists will increase. The numerical data will be evaluated in the future in relation to the end of the health emergency that, still now, affects negatively the accesses.
Some further and consequential plans to the PON project have already been defined but not yet implemented. At the moment it is estimated an investment of more than one million euros for the next 2 years. These forecasts are not further specified since the areas of intervention of the project haven’t been tasted and returned yet.