Relics from Pompeii carry a curse cursed say many who have stolen them.
The site has received around one hundred packages which are returning relics which have been pilfered. Frequently, accompanying letters say that the items have brought only bad luck.
“They write that the stolen pieces have brought them nothing but trouble,” archaeological superintendent Massimo Osanna said in an interview.
“They say they can trace back all their family troubles to their theft at Pompeii."
Other relics have been returned out of a feeling of guilt.
Osanna is considering capitalising on the letters by creating an exhibition of them along with the artefacts to explain the history of the stolen items.
“It's not that the stolen pieces are highly interesting or valuable – it's more the letters. For this reason I'd like to do an exhibition to show how we were and how we are.”
Not everyone can waltz away from the ruined historic city with a pinched piece.
Four French visitors, three brothers and a sister, have been charged with aggravated theft after being seen stuffing pieces of frescoes into their rucksacks.
They were on a Mediterranean cruise which stopped in Naples and went on from there to Pompeii.
Their attempted thefts were spotted by American tourists who reported them to the staff. The police arrived and found the fragments concealed in their rucksacks.
Many of the frescoes on site have been restored, but the original work dates back 2,000 years.
