Tour Guide Spot Man Stealing Stones From Pompeii

On Wednesday, visitors reported to the police that a 59-year-old Italian man had taken a small chunk of brick and 5 stones from the well-known ancient city, Pompeii.

A tour guide quotes that the man picked up “pieces of pavement from one of the streets of the ancient city”. The tour guide immediately notified the Italian police, who later found out that he was a 51-year-old British man visiting the area. This piece of information was told by onlookers and other visitors.

While police have identified the man, others found him at a nearby train station. When questioned by an unknown spokesperson, the man simply said that he had these rocks in his bag because his son liked to collect them. The name of this man remains private, and police have launched an investigation. He now faces a fine, as well as 1 to 6 years in prison. Police were unable to catch up with him; this statement has not been confirmed.

While stealing is definitely frowned upon, there is a myth about a woman who stole two mosaic tiles, a chunk of ceramic, and parts of an amphora. She claims that while the artefacts were in her hands, she had been diagnosed with breast cancer twice, as well as her family’s financial crisis. This woman, who calls herself Nicole, later mails the stolen artefacts back to Pompeii with a letter of apology. She claims she sent them back because the items were cursed ever since Pompeii was blown up by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, which brings bad luck to thieves.

Whether the stones involved in the theft on Wednesday are worth as much as the paintings and mosaics in the museums, investigators still claim that it is a precious treasure.

Extra sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/11/tourist-returns-cursed-artefacts-pilfered-from-pompeii

https://www.ndtv.com/travel/tourist-caught-stealing-stones-from-pompeii-archaeological-site-where-theft-is-believed-to-bring-a-curse-9117177