A tourist who took stones from Pompeii has sent a heartbreaking letter, claiming he was the victim of a Roman “curse”.
An anonymous woman sent a package containing three small stones and a letter written in English.
She claimed she “didn’t know about the curse” of Pompeii after stealing artefacts while on holiday in southern Italy.
The tourist also revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer within a year of visiting Italy’s ancient capital.
View of the ruined ancient Roman city of Pompeii
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A woman wrote: She said, “I didn’t know about the curse. I didn’t know that I wasn’t allowed to carry stones.
“Less than a year later, I got breast cancer. I’m a young, healthy woman, but the doctors said I was just unlucky.” ”
He added: “Please accept my apology and these texts.”
The woman signed the letter in Italian, saying, “I’m sorry.”
Pompeii became a notable tourist destination after it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
As a result of the eruption, the city was covered in volcanic ash.
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Image of notes left by tourists
Gabriel Zstriegel
Gabriel Zstriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, shared the letter and photos of the returned artifacts on social media.
He writes: “Dear anonymous sender of this letter, the pumice stone has arrived in Pompeii. Well, good luck for your future.”
But this isn’t the first time someone has cited a curse after returning stolen artifacts.
Nicole, a Canadian woman, sent a package containing two mosaic tiles, part of an amphora, and a piece of pottery collected in 2020.
She first stole the artifacts in 2005, but due to bad luck, she returned them.
“Please take him home. He will bring bad luck,” Nicole said in the letter.
Mount Vesuvius seen across the Bay of Naples
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She added: “I’m 36 now and have had breast cancer twice. The last time ended with a double mastectomy.
“Me and my family had financial problems. We are good people and we don’t want to pass on this curse to our family and children.”
Zuchtriegel revealed that Pompeii’s archaeological park had received hundreds of letters of apology from tourists who had stolen artifacts from the ancient site.
He also claimed that many people cited the so-called “curse”.
Regarding the recent incident of a woman who sent back three pumice stones, he told RaiNews24: “The woman who wrote us the letter was so touched that we wrote back, and I remember it: ‘Stealing items from archaeological sites is a crime and we will report everything to the authorities. Have to.”
He added: “Many people write to us about suspected curses and tell us about the misfortunes they have suffered at work or through illness. These are touching and sad stories.
“Many people write about returning items stolen from them as children, but these are thefts that occurred decades ago.”