A 51-year-old Scottish man is facing a large fine after being caught leaving Pompeii with a backpack of stolen stones. The tourist was discovered with six fragments – five stones and a brick – illegally collected from the ancient Roman archaeological site.
The man was reported by a tour guide who spotted him picking up pieces of pavement during an evening tour. Italian law enforcement was alerted, and Carabinieri officers found the man outside the Pompeii excavation site near the Villa dei Misteri EAV station.
The stolen items were recovered and returned to the park. The tourist has been reported for aggravated theft and 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, praised the collaborative effort, saying: “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.”
The incident recalls a 2020 case in which a Canadian tourist returned artefacts she stole from Pompeii 15 years earlier, claiming the items were cursed. The woman said the theft had brought misfortune, including financial problems and breast cancer.
