Introduction
This study explores the discourse strategies employed by the Vesuvian International Institute for
Archaeology and Humanities, particularly in the context of its relationship with the Restoring
Ancient Stabiae foundation (RAS) -> an Italian nonprofit organisation established in Washington,
in 2002, involving the University of Maryland, the Campania region, the Superintendency for
Archaeology of Naples and Pompeii: the RAS is dedicated to promoting the cultural and academic
importance of the Vesuvian area, particularly among international universities.
-> To achieve its mission, RAS has organised important exhibitions, such as “In Stabiano” in 2004,
and promoted the creation of a large Archaeological park at the ancient site of Stabiae, to attract
more visitors.
The Institute sees itself as a part of the movement for responsible tourism. It presents archaeology
as a tool for intercultural dialogue, moving away from tourism focused only on profit, and instead
supporting environmental and social values.
Analysis
The Vesuvian Institute’s discourse offers an interesting case for linguistic analysis, looking at both
internal and external communication strategies.
•Internal communication: the RAS master plan, which outlines the foundation’s vision, structure
and goals.
•External communication: Promotional materials such as the In Stabiano exhibition brochure, the
general tourism brochure, and the Institute’s official website.
By analysing this texts, the study aims to identify and understand the rhetorical and linguistic
strategies used to build an institutional identity that brings together academic, cultural and economic
aims of its stakeholders.
Internal communication
The Master plan plays a central role in defining the Institute's institutional identity, as it brings
together the voices of various professionals, such as archaeologists, architects, museologists and
others, all with a shared vision. Furthermore, the documents highlights the involvement of key
institutional partners, such as the Campania region, and the Ministry of Culture.
One of its primary goals is to create an archaeological park that not only showcases the remains of
Roman villas but also integrates them into a wider cultural and environmental context. So, unlike
traditional archaeological sites, the park aims to recreate historical settings through a comparative
research, and not just focusing only on the physical remains on site.
•From a linguistic point of view, the master plan mainly uses the present and future tenses to
emphasise the project long-term vision.
• Modal verbs play an important rhetorical role: in the section “didactic mission”, which outlines
the educational objectives, there is a clear strategic use of modality, the verb must appears only
once indicating a strong obligation, while should is used more often suggesting recommendations
rather than strict commend.
