Construction Magnate Donates Millions To Restore Pompeii As UNESCO Criticises Italian Government

Italy magazine ^ | Tuesday, July 2, 2013 | Carol King

[SunkenCiv]

Italian construction magnate Pietro Salini wants to donate €20 million ... to restore the archaeological site that has been damaged by weather, and has suffered from corrupt management and mafia interference. Salini aims to attract other international donors to restore the Ancient Roman city, telling a press conference: "It would be a crime to let Pompeii crumble."

Salini's announcement comes at a time when the head of the UNESCO National Commission in Italy, Giovanni Puglisi, warned the Italian government that it needs to accelerate ongoing restoration work at the archaeological site, saying the government "has until 31 December to adopt suitable measures for Pompeii". In January 2013, UNESCO documented structural problems and damage Pompeii. UNESCO is due to make a progress assessment in February 2014...

Interviewed in Italian newspaper 'Corriere della Sera', Bray said generous donations such as Salini's are "more than welcome". The minister said that repairs at Pompeii are the centre of his attention and, together with Prime Minister Enrico Letta, he is defining a list of priorities regarding cultural sites. Pompeii is at the top of the list. Bray told the newspaper: "[Pompeii] is one of Italy's landmarks of Italy, of an entire civilisation, our calling card to the world."

In 2008, archaeologists complained about Pompeii's poor upkeep, mismanagement and a lack of investment, prompting the Italian government to declare a state of emergency regarding the site. In recent years, parts of the site have collapsed causing alarm around the world. In February 2013, the European Union contributed €41.8 million towards a €105 million fund for restoration work at Pompeii to be completed by 2015. The EU said it would attempt to protect conservation funds from falling into the hands of local mafiosi.

[SunkenCiv]

[SunkenCiv]

[spyone]

Wish it was the Oracle of the Dead. The greatest uninvestigated site going IMO. Right in this area.

[ConorMacNessa]

Absolutely wonderful! What will they do the next time Vesuvius has a hiccup?

To me, this is on a par with pouring millions of dollars into beach restoration on the Atlantic Coast of the U.S.

That site has been open for decades and we have gleaned much knowledge from it. We should continue to glean such knowledge while we can. But to pump money into it to preserve it from weather?

Is it not due to the vagaries of weather, or perhaps more accurately, the natural forces of geology, that it was "preserved" to us in the first place?



"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

[SunkenCiv]

I’d suggest tourists to Pompeii take an umbrella. ;’)

[Mmogamer]

The un gave them a deadline... so what will they do if the Italians don’t make the deadline?

[Explorer89]

Pompeii is astonishingly large. I know it was a city, but I had somehow envisioned more of a town-sized place, a few blocks of excavation, like you can find at Herculaneum. Pompeii was vast.