A tourist who took rocks from Pompeii has sent a heartbreaking letter after claiming she fell victim to a Roman “curse”.
The unnamed woman sent a package containing three small stones and a letter written in English.
She claimed she “didn’t know about the curse” of Pompeii after stealing artefacts during a holiday in southern Italy.
The tourist also revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer within a year of her visit to the ancient Italian city.
A view of the ruined ancient Roman city of Pompeii
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The woman wrote: “I didn't know about the curse. I didn't know that I should not take any rocks.
“Within a year, I got breast cancer. I am a young and healthy female, and doctors said it was 'just bad luck'.”
She added: “Please accept my apology and these pieces.”
The woman signed off her letter by writing “I’m sorry” in Italian.
Pompeii is a notable tourist destination after it was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.
The eruption resulted in the city being covered in volcanic ash.
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An image of the note left by the tourist
Gabriel Zuchtriegel
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii's archaeological park, shared a picture of the letter and the returned artefacts on social media.
He wrote: “Dear anonymous sender of this letter, the pumice stones arrived in Pompeii. Now good luck for your future.”
However, this is not the first time somebody has cited a curse after returning stolen artefacts.
Nicole, a Canadian woman, sent a package containing two mosaic tiles, parts of an amphora and a piece of ceramics she had retrieved in 2020.
She initially stole the artefacts in 2005 but was returning them after suffering some bad luck.
In her letter, Nicole said: “Please, take them back, they bring bad luck.”
The volcano Mount Vesuvius, seen over the Gulf of Naples
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She added: “I am now 36 and had breast cancer twice. The last time ending in a double mastectomy.
“My family and I also had financial problems. We're good people and I don't want to pass this curse on to my family or children.”
Zuchtriegel revealed Pompeii's archaeological park received hundreds of apologetic letters from tourists who had stolen artefacts from the ancient site.
He also claimed a number of people cited a so-called “curse”.
Speaking about the latest case of the woman who sent back three pumice stones, he told RaiNews24: “We responded to the lady who wrote to us because her letter is very touching but I remember it: 'Stealing goods from archaeological sites is a crime and we must report everything to the authorities.'
He added: “Many people write to us about the alleged curse and tell us about the misfortunes they have suffered at work, in illness: these are touching and sad things.
“Many write returning objects stolen when they were children, these are thefts that occurred decades ago.”