Research, protection and musealization in an underwater archaeological park: the case of Baia (Naples-Italy)

A few miles from Naples, as a result of volcanism in the region, villas, mosaics, baths, streets and houses of the Roman period in Baia were submerged by the sea. This unique environment, severely looted over the years, has been protected since 2001 by a Marine Park, covering an area of 177 hectares. A choice, developed in the late Nineties, due to the destruction of the heritage because of the looters and the presence of a commercial port, and already in line with the dictates of the UNESCO Convention that Italy officially ratified only eight years later. Since then, the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Napoli e Pompei has carried on the research and documentation works, while the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro has experimented new techniques for the conservation of the underwater structures; at the same time, the focus has been on proper musealization, inaugurating a series of underwater archaeological spots, and entrusting the visits to the diving centers of the area, appropriately trained. With the spots of the Villa dei Pisoni, Villa a Protiro, Secca Fumosa and Portus Julius, and with the extraordinary Ninfeo di Punta Epitaffio, in which some copies of the original statues have been placed in situ, tourism has increased, with positive effects on local economy. There is still much to do, so that the Baia Underwater Park can express its full potential, but what has been shown so far, and the plans for the future, are a great point of departure.