Canadian woman returns 'cursed' artefacts stolen from Pompeii

A package containing artefacts stolen from the ancient site of Pompeii was delivered to a travel agent in the southern Italian city, with a letter saying they were “cursed.”

The letter, written in English by a Canadian woman named Nicole, said the relics were stolen in Pompeii in 2005, during a visit to the archaeological site.

“Take them back, please, they bring bad luck,” the woman wrote. The package contained two mosaic pieces, a piece of ceramics and two parts of an amphora.

Pompeii is one of Italy's most visited ancient sites. A sudden eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD buried the town, which was largely preserved under ashes.

The woman explained that, after she brought the stolen artefacts to Canada, her life was struck by a series of tragic events, so she decided to send them back.  

“I took some of these pieces when I visited Pompeii in 2005. I was young and stupid, and I wanted to have a piece of history that nobody had,” she wrote in her letter, according to Italian press reports.

“I stole a piece of history that had lots of negative energy inside,” she said. “People there died in horrible ways. Bad luck played with me and my family.”

The woman, who said she was 36 and had breast cancer twice, added she was asking for “Gods’ forgiveness” and pledged she’d come back to Italy in the future to apologise in person.  

“We’re good people... I just want to shake this curse off me and my family,” she wrote. “Please take these artefacts back, so I can do the right thing and mend the mistake I’ve made.”

The owner of the travel agency handed over the artefacts to the Carabinieri police at the archaeological park.

Unruly behaviour by local and foreign tourists visiting Pompeii’s archaeological site is not rare and often requires police intervention.

Visitors are not allowed to touch monuments at the site, which has long suffered problems with vandalism and theft of artefacts.

In mid-August, local police opened an investigation after a tourist climbed onto the roof of a bath house to take a selfie.

The probe was launched after images of the unidentified woman circulated online, sparking controversy.