Pompeii's second destruction on hold as restorers celebrate victory

The Villa of Mysteries, an estate which contains some of the most spectacular frescoes in the ancient Italian city, was reopened to the public after two years of restoration work.
“We’re turning a new page here in Pompeii today,” said Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini as he cut the red ribbon.
The restoration workers around him smiled proudly. The work was begun because, among other things, a modern beam supporting the roof of the 2,000-year-old villa fell after heavy rain three years ago.
Pompeii was destroyed in AD79 when a volcanic eruption from nearby Mount Vesuvius covered it in metres of ash, killing the city’s inhabitants but preserving many of their treasures.
The Villa of Mysteries is not the only building undergoing restoration work at the Unesco World Heritage site. As part of the Grande Progetto Pompeii, there are 15 restoration projects at the archaeological site, three of which have been completed and 13 of which are ongoing.
The European Union and Italy, between them, are spending 105 million euros (Bt3.74 billion) on the project. The Italian Culture Ministry plans to apply for more EU cash when the initial project ends in December 2015.
“Pompeii is mostly linked with things that don’t work,” says Franceschini. “But things are changing.”
Unesco has praised the progress made at the city, he says, quoting a recent report saying there had been “tangible and significant improvements” at the site. Unesco had also withdrawn its threat to remove Pompeii from its World Heritage list, he adds.
But, although the “second destruction” of Pompeii has at least been delayed for the time being, things are far from being in order, something which Franceschini had to admit.
“If someone asks, ‘Is everything ready?’, we say ‘No’. But if someone asks whether we’re working on it, we say, full of pride, ‘Yes’,” says the culture minister.
Since the financial crisis of 2009, cultural projects have not had top priority in Italy. Pompeii has been continually linked with mismanagement and even with the Mafia, as well as problems with vandalism and theft.
Most recently, Italian authorities ordered the seizure of about 5.8 million euros’ worth of assets from Marcello Fiori, the former manager of Pompeii, accusing him and nine others of fraud and misallocation of funds.
Another adversity is the atmospheric conditions which are making the masonry porous and leading it to crumble, according to archaeologist Antonio Verone.
The collapses of walls and roofs has long been an “integral part” of the ancient city, he says.
“Of course they can spend 1 million euros restoring a house here, but then there are still another 1,499 houses that need restoring,” Verone continues. “There’s no money for that, no people. That’s the crisis.”
Out of desperation, the Italian government has attempted to attract private sponsors, like those have already paid for the restoration of the Colosseum in Rome.
Most recently, luxury fashion house Fendi paid for work on the Trevi Fountain, receiving in return the most prominent advertising spot in the Italian capital.
“We’ve got lots of interest in Pompeii,” said Franceschini. “But up till now there’s been nothing concrete.”
The negative headlines surrounding Pompeii have not at least deterred the tourists.
Last year 2.6 million people visited, around 200,000 more than the previous year, making Pompeii the second most popular attraction in the country.