A British tourist caught leaving Pompeii with a backpack of stones is facing a large fine from the Italian authorities.
The 51-year-old Scottish man was discovered with six stolen fragments – five stones and a brick– illegally collected from the ancient Roman archaeological site.
He was reported after being spotted “picking up pieces of pavement” by a guide who alerted Italian law enforcement during an evening tour.
Carabinieri officers found the man outside the Pompeii excavation site near the Villa dei Misteri EAV station, a spokesperson said on Thursday (14 August).
The collected items were recovered and returned to the park, with the tourist reported for aggravated theft.
The unnamed man could face a summons for trial, with a potential sentence of up to six years in prison and a maximum fine of €1,500 (£1,293).
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, said: “Congratulations and thanks to the attentive tour guide, to our excellent custodians and security staff, and to the Carabinieri for this collaborative effort to protect our heritage.”
However, the discovery may have spared the Scotsman from a lifetime of superstition.
The ancient city destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD has long been rumoured to bring bad luck to its thieves.
In 2020, a tourist returned artefacts she stole from Pompeii 15 years prior, claiming the items were “cursed.”
The Canadian penitent said that misfortune had “plagued” her and her family ever since she stole tiles from the site in her early 20s.
In a bid to assuage the fury of “the gods”, the woman, who called herself Nicole, returned the objects to a travel agency in an envelope also containing the letter of apology.
Nicole said she feared the theft of two mosaic tiles, a chunk of ceramic, and parts of an amphora were responsible for her family’s financial misfortune and for her having twice been diagnosed with breast cancer, resulting in a double mastectomy.
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