MANAGING THE UNDERGROUND BUILT HERITAGE: THE HELLENISTIC NECROPOLIS IN NAPLES

This presentation explores the fascinating case of the Naples’ Hellenistic Necropolis, through the study of three underground sites in the Vergini neighbourhood, a part of the Neapolitan territory included in the Sanità district. These sites, opened to visitors, are owned and managed by privates and no-profit associations. Through several interviews, the Authors define different management models for each site and analyse their performance. Sites are not fully sustainable, and their fragmented management reduces the sites’ potential to become one of the most visited and studied sites in the World. Based on the results of the COST Action Underground4value, the presentation proposes an integrated approach to the heritage management, able to connect local authorities, national museums, state antiquity protection bodies, foundations, associations, and privates. Dialogue and strategic thinking could make each site part of an integrated system, the Hellenistic Naples, and attract the needed resources for the site’s overall sustainability. Creating such a win-win situation could expand the attractiveness of participatory practices and cultural transitions in the field of heritage management.