German-born archaeologist has been director of Paestum since 2015.

Italy's culture ministry has appointed Gabriel Zuchtriegel, a 39-year-old German archaeologist, as the new director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park.

The news was announced on 20 February by culture minister Dario Franceschini during a visit to the Pompeii exhibition at the Colosseum in Rome.

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Zuchtriegel, who has been general manager of Paestum since 2015, takes over from Massimo Osanna who was recently appointed director general of Italy's state museums.

Born in 1981 in Weingarten, Germany, Zuchtriegel has dual Italian citizenship since 2020 and is married with two children.

He studied classical archaeology, prehistory and Greek philology in Berlin, Rome and Bonn, where in 2010 he completed a research doctorate on the Lazio site of Gabii near Rome.

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"I chose Gabriel Zuchtriegel" - said Franceschini - "because he did an incredible job in Paestum. Now it is a model thanks to him. I'm sure he will do very well in Pompeii too."

Zuchtriegel, who holds a Ph.D. degree in classical archaeology from Bonn University, beat 44 other candidates - 10 of whom were not Italian - in an international contest to win the four-year post at Pompeii.

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″It's my life's dream and a great responsibility" - said Zuchtriegel - “Pompeii is special not only for its priceless archaeological heritage, but also for the team of professionals and employees who work on the site with great commitment and competence."

Il nuovo Direttore di @pompeii_sites è @GZuchtriegel scelto grazie al lavoro di una commissione internazionale, come avviene dal 2014 per tutti i direttori dei grandi musei italiani. Proseguirà a Pompei il lavoro straordinario fatto a @paestumparco pic.twitter.com/JhPs96BJid

— Dario Franceschini (@dariofrance) February 20, 2021