The CIBeC at the AISI Seminar in the Archaeological Park of Pompeii

On 20 March 2026, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii hosted the tenth Seminar of the Italian Association for the History of Engineering (AISI), organised in collaboration with the National Council of Engineers. The event placed at the centre of debate the relationship — increasingly fruitful and necessary — between engineering and archaeology, with the CIBeC of the University of Naples Federico II among the key players of the day.

The bond between the Interdepartmental Centre for Cultural Heritage and AISI is no coincidence, as the President of the Association, Professor d’Ambrosio, recalled, stressing the shared vision that unites the two institutions: working without disciplinary rivalries, breaking down barriers between engineers, architects, restorers, conservators and archaeologists, in the conviction that only a collective approach can ensure the protection of heritage. “We must preserve what we have for those who will come after us,” she said, explicitly invoking the Brundtland Report’s definition of sustainability, “and one of the most precious things we have, especially in Italy, is this enormous archaeological heritage.”

Professor Luciano Rosati, Director of the CIBeC, also took the floor, offering a rich and articulate account of the Centre’s significance within the Italian scientific landscape. He highlighted how the CIBeC embodies “the living embodiment” of the seminar’s theme: engineering and archaeology, two apparently distant disciplines, finding in the Centre a space for synthesis and concrete dialogue. It is no coincidence that the CIBeC offers two courses specifically dedicated to this intersection — Engineering for Cultural Heritage and Engineering for Archaeology — attended not only by engineers but also by architects and archaeologists, reflecting a cross-disciplinary exchange of knowledge that continues to grow year on year. Rosati emphasised the commitment of engineers to making their models and methods — structural modelling, the verification of stress compatibility in materials — understandable and accessible to professionals with very different backgrounds: a cultural commitment before a technical one. He also welcomed as a positive institutional signal the recent establishment, within the Ministry of Culture, of a Department tasked with involving engineers and architects in the seismic protection of historic structures: “A particularly positive development,” he said, “because it represents the culmination of years of cultural effort.”

Professor Andrea Prota, President of the Order of Engineers of the Province of Naples and of the Polytechnic School of Federico II, expressed his full support for AISI and the initiative, recognising in Vincenzo Calvanese — one of the day’s speakers and a member of the Order’s Council — a constant driving force in bringing cultural heritage issues to the forefront of the professional agenda. He also recalled the role of PNRR-funded research in this field, citing the CHANGES project and the RETUN project, both now nearing completion.

Raffaele Tarateta, President of the Order of Engineers of the Province of Salerno, conveyed the greetings of a territory that regards Pompeii as an integral part of its own cultural and geographical horizon. He recalled how engineering, in the public imagination, tends to be associated with the creation of the new, yet plays an equally fundamental role in the preservation of memory: “Engineering is also that invisible pillar that keeps alive testimonies, traces, stories, culture.” He invoked the themes of resilience and sustainability, underlining how climate change and hydrogeological instability make it ever more urgent to apply the tools of modern engineering — artificial intelligence included — to the mitigation of vulnerability in the archaeological heritage.

The rich scientific programme offered a wide-ranging overview. Engineer Vincenzo Calvanese (Archaeological Park of Pompeii) opened by illustrating the extraordinary complexity of the site: over 100 hectares of state-owned land, more than 1,200 buildings, 4 million visitors per year, 23 active construction sites and 8 major new projects due to begin in 2026, including the ambitious intervention on the Insula Meridionalis, funded with over 30 million euros. Engineer Alessandra Zambrano then presented the frontiers of innovation applied to conservation: data-driven approaches, artificial intelligence and robotics in the service of knowledge and site protection. Professor Mauro Menichetti (University of Salerno) offered an original study of the skyline of the ancient city, while Professor Luigi Petti (University of Salerno) presented multi-scale and multi-level monitoring methodologies in support of proactive maintenance management for complex systems. The seminar also featured a contribution from Professor Francesca Ceroni (University of Naples Parthenope), who addressed the vulnerability of masonry elements to out-of-plane mechanisms within the Park — one of the most delicate structural challenges in the conservation of Pompeian structures — followed by Architect Arianna Spinosa (Archaeological Park of Pompeii), who discussed the specific role of the architect on the archaeological restoration site. Finally, Dr Massimo Mariani, President of the Centro Studi Sisto Mastrodicasa, closed the technical sessions with a paper on structural restoration in the Insula Meridionalis.

The seminar once again confirmed that Pompeii represents a unique laboratory in the world for interdisciplinary collaboration. The CIBeC is proud to have contributed to this day and to continue nurturing, together with AISI and the professional Orders, that “cross-pollination of knowledge” which is the essential condition for meeting the challenges of cultural heritage conservation.