Almost every word of this report reflects some of Italy’s broader problems:
A labour union on Thursday reported that a chunk of the wall from Domus of Diomede building on Via Consolare collapsed a day after European Commissioner Johannes Hahn announced that the European Union would give up to 105 million euros to protect and restore the fragile site UNESCO World Heritage site that was buried by volcanic ash around two thousand years ago.
The funds are part of one billion euros earmarked for cultural heritage projects, with particular emphasis on southern Italy, according to Italian minister for regional affairs Raffaele Fitto.
An similar collapse last week prompted Italian culture minister Giancarlo Galan to promise that he would make Pompeii his “the utmost priorty.”
He made almost identical remarks in March shortly after the state of Pompeii led to his predecessor’s resignation.
Only thirty percent of the buildings at the site are considered to be in good condition.
Addendum: Here is a report which doubts whether in fact another wall has collapsed.
Tyler, your sense of humor always surprises me. Nice way to ask “What is President Obama waiting for?”
Those British newspapers that used to insist every month or two that the Elgin marbles be sent to Greece (The Tax-Dodging Guardian, and the like) have fallen rather silent on the theme recently. What can the reason be?
I thought UNESCO’s job was to send UN funds to promote European tourism? We don’t want anything to happen to the Sacred German Mud Flats.
Now I can’t do New Jersey accents well, and it may not translate into the vernacular of Pompeii, but here goes:
“So youse guys like the old buildings, huh? Well, it would be a shame, a real shame, if dis here other wall was to have an ‘accident’…”
I think it’s kind of funny that The European Union is dishing out millions of fund for restoratioin of historical sites when multiple members of the European Union are in desperate need of help. countries like Greece and Ireland have economies that are bankrupt or near to it and plenty of funds that could help people trapped in poverty are being spent on things that can be redestroyed. The overall complete investment with this Pompie rubish is nonsense.
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