Tourist Returns Stolen Rocks To Pompeii After Cancer Diagnosis

The director of Pompeii’s archaeological park recently received a mysterious envelope from an anonymous woman who claims to have developed breast cancer after taking home three cursed rocks from the historic site. The sender admitted to taking stones from the ancient city, unaware of the strict prohibition against such actions. Diagnosed with breast cancer less than a year after her visit, the woman expressed regret in a handwritten letter, stating she was unaware of the curse. Archaeologist Gabriel Zuchtriegel shared a picture of the note and stones on X, he wrote, “Dear anonymous sender of this letter, the pumice stones arrived in Pompeii, now good luck for your future.”

In the handwritten note, the woman expressed, “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.’ Please accept my apology and these pieces.” The note ended with ‘Mi dispiace,’ which means ‘I’m sorry.’

According to the Daily Mail, Gabriel Zuchtriegel mentioned that he has received numerous such letters from tourists who had taken artifacts from Pompeii and called them cursed. Speaking about the latest case, the archaeologist said, “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. 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.”

After the anonymous woman’s story went viral, another woman residing in Pennsylvania, US, identified as Deb, claimed she too had taken the stones during a 2011 trip to Pompeii. Within eight years of her return, she was divorced and battled with breast cancer. She explained, “When I got back from Italy not too long after that I ended up getting divorced and then a year later had Stage 3 breast cancer. One day I watched a TV show about a cursed doll and I started to think back to the rocks I took.”

These two cases are very much similar to a 2020 incident involving a Canadian woman named Nicole. As per reports, in 2005, she had stolen artifacts and later decided to return them, claiming she developed breast cancer and financial hardship due to the cursed items.

Pompeii has dealt with the issue of tourists stealing its ancient ruins. The appeal of owning a piece of history has led many to take artifacts from the site unlawfully. In response to this ongoing problem, numerous stolen relics have been returned to Pompeii, often accompanied by letters expressing regret.