Pompeii, the curse of the "souvenir": yet another thwarted theft

Pompeii, the curse of the "souvenir": yet another thwarted theft

Subtitle: A 40-year-old Polish tourist stopped at the exit with archaeological fragments in his backpack. He explained to the Carabinieri: "I didn't know it was illegal, I wanted a souvenir." He was reported.

POMPEII – It's not the first, and sadly, it's a safe bet it won't be the last. The Pompeii Archaeological Park continues to fall prey to unscrupulous visitors, more interested in a fetish to display in their living room than respecting a world heritage site. The latest episode in a long and sad series occurred yesterday, involving a 40-year-old Polish tourist whose visit ended with him being charged with aggravated theft.

The scene is the infamous one. A man, conspicuous by a feather-trimmed hat, was spotted by security personnel lurking suspiciously along the road near the Amphitheater.

With seemingly innocuous gestures, he bent down to pick up some shards and fragments of Pompeian stone, quickly slipping them into his backpack.

What the 40-year-old didn't know was that the close collaboration between the park management, security personnel, and the Carabinieri had created a well-established surveillance network. Internal security, having noticed the man's movements, immediately alerted the site's fixed post.

As he exited Piazza Esedra, the tourist was stopped for a check. Visibly tense, he hesitated at first, but when specifically asked to show the contents of his backpack, he finally conceded.

The justification given is the tired old story of those caught red-handed: "I just wanted a memento of the city buried under the ashes of Vesuvius," he reportedly told the soldiers, claiming he was unaware that collecting those fragments was illegal.

This excuse doesn't hold up in the face of explicit prohibitions throughout the site. The theft of artifacts, even seemingly insignificant ones like a stone or a shard, causes inestimable damage. It's a slow and constant plundering that, piece by piece, strips away study material and context from a unique site.

The artifacts were immediately recovered and returned to the Archaeological Park for relocation. For the Polish tourist, however, his Italian vacation ended with him being charged with aggravated theft. A "memory" that, hopefully, will serve as a lesson.