Emergency rescue bid for ruins of Pompeii

Source: Agencies  |   2008-7-5  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE Italian government declared a state of emergency at the Pompeii archaeological site yesterday to try to rescue one of the world's most important cultural treasures from decades of neglect.

A cabinet statement said it would appoint a special commissioner for Pompeii, the Roman city buried by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Archaeologists and art historians have long complained about the poor upkeep of the Pompeii treasures, plagued by lack of investment, weeds, litter, graffiti and looting. Fake tour guides and illegal parking attendants also plague visitors.

Some 2.5 million tourists visit Pompeii each year and many have expressed shock at the poor conditions.

A report in the Corriere della Sera newspaper said many of the 1,500 houses, including some of the most famous ones, are closed to the public, its frescoes are fading and restoration work that began in 1978 has yet to be completed.

The "state of emergency," which the government said would last for a year, allows for extra funds and special measures to be taken to protect the site.

"Every year at least 150 square meters of fresco and plaster work are lost for lack of maintenance," Antonio Irlando, a regional councillor responsible for artistic heritage, told the newspaper. "The same goes for stones: at least 3,000 pieces every year end up disintegrating," he said.

Two-thirds of the 66-hectare sire have been uncovered since serious excavations began 260 years ago.