This Is Italy
Tourists who have stolen relics from Pompeii often turn out to return their loot later. Some send a note stating that the artifacts are cursed. So states the head of the archaeological department Massimo Osanna on his website.
The Curse of Pompeii
In recent years, Pompeii has been able to recover about a hundred packages of stolen remains from the ancient Roman city. Some of them contained letters talking about the misfortune the objects would have brought to the thieves and their families. The Italian newspaper reports about this La Corriere della Sera.
"Sometimes the thieves just feel sorry and guilty," Osanna admits. However, he finds the stories surrounding the many stolen and cursed objects interesting enough to dedicate an exhibition to them.
Theft of frescoes
Osanne's announcement comes after 4 French tourists were charged with aggravated theft. They were caught in the act after trying to obscure pieces of Pompeii's famous frescoes. The 4 tourists, 3 brothers and a sister, called at the port of Naples during a cruise on the Mediterranean Sea.
American visitors to the excavations saw the French snatch plaster from the walls in the forum complex and called in security. The thieves were handed over to the police. Their backpacks now contained several pieces of the 2.000-year-old frescoes.
Source: thelocal.it
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