By Beatrice Jeschek

The ancient ruins in Pompeii seem to be falling apart due to serious mismanagement over the years, according to Reuters.

Several recent collapses have led to a media outcry over Italy’s inability to take care of its cultural heritage.

One major collapse was the one of the famous Schola Armaturarum, a spacious hall used by a military association before it was destroyed with the rest of the city by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.

What happened to the formerly prosperous Roman city?

A state of emergency was declared in July 2008, and a commissioner was appointed to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and reclaim the site. Two years and two commissioners later, the national government declared the emergency over. But some now say that the officials defaulted on their mandate.


Metal barriers and scaffolding are currently used for some buildings on the north side of the Via dell’Abbondanza in order to keep visitors on a secure distance. Now, there is rubble where the Schola Armaturarum once stood. The ground building survived World War II damages when it was rebuild in 1947, but it appears to be crumbling in front of Italy’s political instability.

This metaphor of political instability leading to the mismanagement of Italy’s world famous cultural heritage has a firm grip on the public, as well as on those not only interested in arts and culture. Common property is at risk.

There have been calls for the resignation of the culture minister, Sandro Bondi, and investigators are beginning to raise questions about the management of recent restoration efforts.

Pompeii’s collapse is of world interest, too. UNESCO sent a team of experts this month to examine the damage. What this team finds will then be presented at a conference next June in Bahrain.

Archaeologists recall several factors leading to the crumbling of Pompeii in this pompous manner. One is the pounding rain that soaked parts of Italy this fall, merely drawing attention to a state of neglect that has dragged on for years.

Ordinary maintenance is what was missing at Pompeii according to Pietro Giovanni Guzzo, who supervised the site for the Ministry of Culture from 1994 to 2009.

This means that a combination of natural and political issues have plagued the World Heritage site. A lot has been tried and a lot has failed throughout the years.

It would take some 230 million euros to safeguard the ancient city in the future, superintendent Guzzo estimated even more than a decade ago. And the number seems to grow with every year.

This article was first published 14/12/2010 on maltastar.com.