We shared an important gathering at the Archeological Park of Ostia Antica on 28th October 2025, to retrace the key steps in the process that led one of Rome’s leading cultural heritage institutions to open up and rethink itself in relation to its audiences.

As an annual appointment addressed to organisations, associations, professionals and citizens – especially from the surrounding area – the working group of the Parco Archeologico presented the results achieved through design-thinking experiments conducted under the guidance of Melting Pro’s Skills and Organisational Development Area.

Workshops, listening and engagement pathways, prototyping and international study visits provided the context for a broader reflection on the potential of design-thinking techniques to engage local audiences, starting from the two groups that took part directly in the AHEAD project: the students of the “Giulio Verne – Via di Saponara 150” High scool in Acilia and local members of the Associazione Agro Isola Sacra in Fiumicino.

Programme at a glance:

10:00 | Welcome and institutional opening

10:15 | Introduction to the event

10:30 | AHEAD in practice: testimonies and results

11:00 | Mens sana in corpore sano: experiencing the Park through the eyes of the young people of Acilia

11:30 | Coffee break

11:45 | Roundtables on engaging local audiences

12:30 | Report-back from the roundtables and presentation of AHEAD final outputs

13:00 | Closing