For the first time, a new permanent exhibition at Pompeii presents the full story of the ancient city’s destruction through a museum display centered on the eruption, its victims, and the casts made from their remains.
.The exhibition brings together 22 of the clearest and best-preserved casts of victims, along with rare organic finds that help explain what happened in Pompeii in A.D. 79. It serves as both a memorial and a scientific display, tracing the eruption step by step while explaining how plaster casts were created from voids left in hardened ash after bodies and other organic material decomposed. Pompeii is the only site where this kind of evidence can be recovered in this way.
Permanent exhibition at Pompeii focuses on the eruption and its victims
Italy’s culture minister, Alessandro Giuli, said the exhibition stands out for its scientific care and respect for the dead, showing the brutal reality of the eruption while treating the victims with dignity. He added that the display is bold in addressing death directly, doing so with both accuracy and empathy.
The route runs through the south and north porticoes of the Palestra Grande, the large square building opposite the Amphitheatre. The south side focuses on volcanology and the eruption of Vesuvius.
It includes a new video summary and a reconstruction of a column about 4 meters (13 feet) high made of ash and lapilli, the material that buried the city. That section also presents preserved plant and animal remains, with texts and images linked to Pompeian frescoes, including recently discovered examples.
Exhibition route explains casts, history and visitor access
The north side includes a small section on furnishings with two door casts, followed by the main area devoted to human remains. The victims’ section is partly screened from view, giving visitors a choice before entering because of the sensitive subject matter.
The display uses simple texts, archive photos and multimedia material rather than decorative design. Visitors can follow the history of the cast-making method from its development in the 19th century to today, including CT scan images that reveal the inside of some casts. The exhibition also includes historical and film material tied to public responses to the victims.
Pompeii Archaeological Park Director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said the project was the institution’s biggest museum challenge. He said the team wanted the exhibition to balance the human and ethical meaning of the casts with clear and inclusive educational material. He said the victims should not be seen as artworks, but as reminders of human fragility and of how precious life is.
The permanent exhibition was also designed to be flexible and accessible, with audio content, LIS and ISL videos, AAC tools, tactile sections, 3D models and Braille texts.
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