L’Osservatorio Vesuviano: storia della scienza e cultura del territorio nell’area vesuviana

Abstract

The Royal Observatory of Vesuvius (ROV) is the oldest volcanological observatory in the world. It was founded in 1841 by the King of the Two Sicilies, Ferdinand II of Bourbons, in order to study the volcanic activity of Vesuvius for the early warning of the population. Currently, it hosts a permanent exhibition where the visitors are introduced to volcanism and its hazards, the monitoring systems of active volcanoes, and the history of Mt. Vesuvius and the Vesuvius Observatory. It provides an integration between conventional and innovative exhibitions, by implementing the wonderful collections of rocks and minerals, old books, historical instruments, documents and paintings, with computer graphics and multimedia installations. After a long period of about one year – when renovation works were closed – the ROV reopened with a magnificent ceremony, where the rooms of the Museum also hosted an art and photography exhibition by the students of the Karlsruhe Art Academy, the Architecture Faculty of the Zurich University and the Hamburg Academy. The ROV reopening to the public fits in a much wider process of requalification of the Vesuvius region, where, the dissemination of the knowledge of the volcano will promote the proper use of its territory, not only to blow up all the potential of the area, but also to prepare future generations for a more conscious and fruitful use of the resources offered by the area.