Legend or not, superstition or not, the fact remains that every year many artifacts stolen while visiting the excavations by tourists from all over the world are returned to the Pompeii Archaeological Park because the famous curse of Pompeii has fallen on them.
Misfortune, misfortune and bad luck afflict those who stole pieces of history from the world’s most famous site destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Witness the very letters sent by those affected, who decide to return the precious artifacts with the hope that the misfortune will cease.
Pieces of wall, mosaic, pumice are stolen every year by the many tourists who visit the archaeological site, to take with them a unique souvenir of Pompeii. But once they return home on the unsuspecting tourists, a series of nefarious events begin to befall them. Illnesses, financial troubles, family troubles that lead them to dispose of the artifacts with the hope of finding peace and freeing themselves from the curse of Pompeii.
Letters arrived at the Archaeological Park
The latest is a letter from an anonymous young tourist who arrived in January 2024 and sent back some pieces of pumice. She wrote that a year after the theft she realized she was suffering from a disease and that doctors said it was just bad luck. Coincidence or not the fact remains that the young tourist wanted to get rid of those items with the hope of healing. And to erase the curse of Pompeii that she was unaware of.
But it is not the only case in another letter accompanied by some fragments of Pompeii’s columns, we read, “We don’t know if it was the curse or just a coincidence, but since we have these stones we are unlucky.”
All these letters have in common one word bad luck and a series of troubles that began after the clever.
The return of these precious fragments is an important gesture. But at the same time, not knowing the exact spot where they were stolen, they are difficult to relocate. And the damage done to a thousand-year-old city remains despite the restitution.
So why steal important pieces of an ancient city by defacing its value?
When outside the walls there are plenty of kiosks selling souvenirs of all kinds that perfectly recall Pompeii’s history.
Pompeii can also be remembered by buying a simple magnet, an amphora that perfectly replicates the ancient one, a cave canem tile.
Where the legend of the curse of Pompeii comes from
Many people, but especially those on whom the curse of Pompeii fell, wonder how this legend came about.
Some believe that the explanation lies in the wrath of the gods. In fact, according to the ancient Romans, Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius because the gods wanted to inflict punishment on the ancient Pompeians. Who according to the gods were a people too attached to luxury.
Punishment that continued and was therefore also inflicted on those who stole the precious artifacts by taking them from the city.
Others, however, link the legend to Amedeo Maiuri, one of the greatest archaeologists and director of Pompeii, who stated, “ That anyone who stole pieces of the ancient Roman city would spend seven years in trouble.“
The truth and origin of Pompeii’s alleged curse will probably never be known. But one thing is certain: the theft of a piece of history is a reprehensible act that should not be done, regardless of the misfortune or trouble one might face!
