A woman returned, along with an anonymous letter, several fragments of rock stolen from the archaeological area of Pompeii, the Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, explaining that she has “breast cancer” and that she did not know that behind the removal of remains there was “a curse”.
(Also read: A Sumatran tigress, a species at serious risk of extinction, is born in Rome).
“Dear anonymous sender of this letter… the pumice stones arrived in Pompeii… now good luck for your future and 'in bocca al lupo' (luck), as we say in Italy,” the director of the archaeological park wrote on the X social network, Gabriel Zuchtriege, publishing the photo of the anonymous letter and the fragments.
In the letter, the woman wrote in English: “I didn't know anything about the curse. I didn't know that I shouldn't have taken the stones. After a year I was notified of breast cancer. I am a healthy woman, the doctors say it is just 'bad luck'. Please accept my apologies and these pieces. I'm sorry.”
This is not the first time that visitors to the archaeological site return objects stolen during their visit, claiming that after the theft a curse followed them and that, unfortunately, as experts complain, they become difficult to relocate because they are out of context.
As documented in the book by journalist Antonio Cangiano titled 'The Curse of Pompeii. Superstition and archeology. History of petty thefts and regrets around the world”, this ancient superstition linked to the theft of archaeological finds from Pompeii is still alive.
(Keep reading: In Italy is 'Fiuto', the first restaurant for dogs and humans).
The author writes that whoever dares to take home an unauthorized 'souvenir' will be punished with bad luck, with unpleasant and often tragic events.
In 2020, the owner of a Pompeii real estate agency found a package from Canada with some remains and a clear message: “Keep them. They are bad luck.”
(We recommend: When does ETIAS come into effect for Colombians traveling to Europe? There is a new date).
“I was young and stupid, I wanted to have a piece of history that no one could have. I didn't really think about what I was getting,” explained the Canadian signatory, Nicole, explaining that since that trip she had breast cancer and that the curse It was because they came from a “land of destruction” and there “many people died in horrible ways.”
The media recalls another letter, also from Canada, in which a couple apologized for the robbery committed in 2005 during a trip to Pompeii: “We took them without thinking about the pain and suffering that these poor souls had felt. We are sorry, “Forgive us for this terrible decision. May their souls rest in peace.”
EFE
#Woman #cancer #returns #stones #stolen #Pompeii #face #39the #curse39
