The Herculaneum Archaeological Park is preparing to offer the public a unique experience: for the first time it will be possible to access the Suburban Baths during the ongoing restoration work. From September 14 to November 30, 2025, visitors will be able to discover never-before-opened rooms, extraordinarily preserved and enriched with exceptionally valuable architectural and decorative elements.
The official presentation is set for Sunday, September 14, with a preview dedicated to the press at 9 a.m., followed by the opening to the public at 10 a.m. The initiative was strongly desired by Francesco Sirano, director of the Park, who wanted to make accessible one of the most precious places of the ancient Roman city, now the subject of a complex restoration and enhancement project. The Suburban Baths, located between the ancient seashore and the city walls, represent one of the best-preserved public buildings of the entire Roman Empire. Originally built as a private bath for the powerful Nonii Balbi family, they were later expanded and made available to the community.
The ongoing restoration concerns the entire complex and aims to preserve and enhance a heritage that has maintained unique characteristics over the centuries. Its highlights include sumptuous marble floors, stucco and painting decorations, original wooden doors still preserved, and a very rare “samovar” heating system intended for the hot pools. This particular system testifies to the technical ingenuity of the Romans in designing thermal buildings, capable of ensuring comfort and functionality.
The restoration project, with a total value of 5,281,408.63 euros, was financed through the programming provided for in Article 1, paragraphs 9 and 10, of Law 190 of 2014 (2015 Stability Law), with funds from the Herculaneum Archaeological Park for the budget years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. A key role is played by the public-private partnership with the Packard Humanities Institute, which has been active at the site since 2001 and engaged in numerous conservation projects.
The extraordinary opening of the Suburban Baths, made possible by an advanced stage of the work, allows visitors to combine a visit with direct experience of a restoration site. From Sept. 14 to Nov. 30, 2025, visitors will be able to access the site for an additional ticket, the proceeds of which will go to support the park’s restoration work. Visits will be escorted and will take place on Saturdays and Sundays, with shifts cadenced hourly from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Starting October 18, the last shift will be earlier at 3 p.m. to accommodate the reduction in daylight hours.
The initiative is part of the project activities governed by Law 132 of November 18, 2019, which allows part of the proceeds from ticket sales of institutions with special autonomy to be used to remunerate staff engaged in local enhancement projects. In this way, the management of resources generated by cultural tourism returns to the benefit of the heritage itself, improving its usability and preservation.
The visit to the Suburban Baths will offer the opportunity to observe not only the monumental environments, but also the restoration techniques applied to floors, stucco and structures. An unprecedented perspective that will provide an understanding of how the work of archaeologists, restorers and technicians engaged in the preservation of a fragile and valuable asset is carried out.
The Suburban Baths are an emblematic site for the ancient city of Herculaneum. Their original function, linked to an important city family, was soon transformed into a service for the community, becoming a meeting and social point. The richness of the decorations and the complexity of the structures show how central, for Roman urban life, the experience of the baths was. They were not only places of body care, but real public spaces of relationship and civic identity.
The Herculaneum Archaeological Park, through this initiative, strengthens its enhancement strategy, which aims at a constant dialogue between scientific research and public enjoyment. The opening of a construction site in progress is also a way to raise visitors’ awareness of the importance of conservation and the complexity of the work behind returning a monument to the community.
Tickets for the special tours are available online at ercolano.cultura.gov.it and ercolano.coopculture.it, via call center at +39 081 0106490 (operating Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or directly at the Park’s ticket office, subject to availability.
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| Herculaneum Park, Suburban Baths open for the first time |
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