Tourist Faces Fine After Stealing From Pompeii

Last Wednesday, a 51-year-old Scottish tourist was caught with a bag of six stolen stones from Italy’s site of Pompeii. Fortunately for the man, though, it is what might have saved him from the “curse of Pompeii.”

The man, who has yet to be named by authorities, was caught as the perpetrator when his tour guide saw him pick up “pieces of pavement from one of the streets of the ancient city.” The guide then enlightened workers at the site, who provided a detailed description of the man to the Carabinieri police.

“He said he had no idea it was forbidden to remove artifacts from Pompeii. He was trying to get out of trouble but it did not work. It is pretty easy to understand you cannot do that because if everyone wandered off with a piece of Pompeii there would be nothing left,” a police officer said.

Additionally, the man tried to defend himself by saying the stones were for his son, who loves to collect rare rocks.

Despite these attempts to get out of punishment, the tourist faces a possible sentence of six years and a fine of up to €1,500. However, the police officer said, “If his record is clean it is likely to be just a fine.”

Even though the man was caught and had to face a fine, he wouldn’t have to face the “curse” that had allegedly caused misfortune. Many stolen artifacts of Italy have been returned with notes saying they brought death and illness, leading to the title of “curse.” For example, in 2020, a woman returned mosaic tiles, part of an amphora, and ceramic pieces that she stole 15 years ago, explaining how these artifacts had caused two stages of cancer and family adversity.

“This week we caught a Scotsman before he could get away but we may have saved him from the curse,” said the police officer.

This isn’t the first time there has been a tourist incident in Italy. Two years ago, a man used his key to carve onto a wall at the Colosseum in Rome, which he wrote an apology letter for. Meanwhile, this year, a chair made of Swarovski crystals broke when a visitor sat on it, while another person backed into an artwork at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/14/world/europe/pompeii-italy-tourist.html

https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/briton-caught-stealing-pompeii-9f8chmtbr