Pompei Felix is a pilot project that proposes a different way to visit Pompei: slower, more inclusive, and more closely connected to the people who live and work there. The project was presented at the TTG in Rimini as a model of territorial development that puts people at the center.
The initiative is based on a memorandum of understanding between the Municipality of Pompei and the social cooperative Il Tulipano, with the collaboration of Mercato Pompeiano and the scientific support of DiSEGIM at the University of Naples Parthenope.
Experiential tourism, inclusion, and local products
Pompei Felix is described as a territorial development model that combines experiential tourism, social and labor inclusion, sustainability, and promotion of local excellence.
Rather than creating an entirely new attraction, the project aims to turn practices already active in the area into a shared hospitality model that could potentially be replicated elsewhere.
Agriculture is part of that chain. Il Tulipano cultivates products, including the Cipolla Bianca di Pompei, which enter the supply chain of Mercato Pompeiano.
The Pizza Experience
A central element is the Pizza Experience, in which people with autism and/or cognitive disabilities are trained by pizza makers and take part in preparing dough and accompanying visitors.
The proposed experiences also cover Neapolitan pizza, fresh pasta, artisanal gelato, coffee, and tiramisu, along with tasting moments.
Against hit-and-run tourism
Pompei Felix states its intention to counter "mordi e fuggi" — hit-and-run — tourism by encouraging more relaxed visiting times, sustainable mobility, longer stays, and direct contact with the local community.
What is not yet clear
The available reporting does not provide an operating calendar, budget, expected number of participants, or indicators for measuring social and economic effects. Practical visitor information — such as how to book, accessibility arrangements, prices, and frequency of experiences — has also not been detailed.
For now, Pompei Felix is best understood as a defined proposal and pilot framework, not yet as a fully specified visitor program.
