Pompeii – He collected fragments of flooring and a piece of brick inside the archaeological excavation site, stuffed them into his backpack, and tried to run away. A 51-year-old Scottish tourist got into trouble and was reported by the Carabinieri for aggravated theft of archaeological finds.
The incident occurred in the late afternoon, near the basilica. A tour guide, accompanying a group through the domus of the ancient city buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, noticed the suspicious movements. The guide recounts that the man bent down several times to pick up some stones from an internal road, placing the material in his backpack.
The alarm was immediately raised with the Park management and the private security force in Piazza Esedra, along with a detailed description of the suspect. From there, a report was sent to the Carabinieri at the Scavi station.
He was stopped near the Circumvesuviana station at Villa dei Misteri
The tourist was located shortly thereafter outside the archaeological area, near the Villa dei Misteri EAV station. In his backpack, he still had five stones and a fragment of brick, illegally removed from the site. The material was recovered and returned to the Archaeological Park.
"Congratulations and thanks to the attentive tour guide, our custodians, security staff, and the Carabinieri," declared Park Director Gabriel Zuchtriegel, "for this collaborative effort to protect our heritage."
This episode is very strange and makes us reflect on the behavior of some tourists. It's important to respect archaeological sites and not take anything, even if it seems insignificant. We hope this serves as a lesson.