The woman is sure that she has become a victim of the “curse of Pompeii” (4 photos)

The head of the Pompeii Archaeological Park said that he receives a lot of letters and parcels from tourists. They belatedly ask for forgiveness and return the stolen artifacts from the ruins. People believe that after the theft of “souvenirs” a curse fell on them. The last such letter caused a great resonance.





A chilling note from a “victim of the curse of Pompeii” reveals her serious diagnosis months after she “took some stones as souvenirs” from an open-air archaeological museum.



The young woman writes that she did not know about the curse when she took these stones. Now a year has passed and she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I am a young and healthy woman, and the doctors said that I was just “unlucky.” Please accept my apology and these stones,” she wrote. And at the end she added “I’m so sorry” in Italian.





Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, spoke about this letter. He posted a photo on social media and wrote: “Dear anonymous sender of this letter, the pumice stones have returned home. Good luck in the future."

He explained that the letter touched him. But he reminded that the theft of artifacts from archaeological sites is a crime that the park management is obliged to report to the authorities.



According to Gabriel Zuchtriegel, hundreds of similar letters come from tourists with apologies and stories of how various misfortunes befell them after the theft of artifacts from Pompeii.

“Many people write to us about an alleged curse and talk about misfortunes that befell them at work, in illness: these are touching and sad things. “Many people write that they are returning items stolen in childhood - these are thefts that occurred decades ago.”

In 2020, a Canadian woman returned two mosaic tiles she stole from Pompeii, as well as parts of an amphora and a piece of pottery, after 15 years of bad luck. After stealing the artifacts in 2005, Nicole said in a letter that she suffered two cases of breast cancer and financial difficulties after the theft.

“Please put them back, they bring bad luck,” she wrote, adding that they have “so much negative energy... associated with death and destruction.” “I am now 36 years old and have had breast cancer twice,” her letter reads. The last time ended in a double mastectomy. Also, my family and I had financial problems. We are good people and I don’t want to pass this curse on to my family or children.”

Nicole cited “the desire to own a piece of history that no one else has” as the reason for the theft.