ITALY’S – Guide to Archaeological, Architectural, and Cultural Heritage 2013: The Italian cities of Venice, L’Aquila, Rome, Pompeii, Naples, and the State of Sicily, etc, – “A Disgrace for Italy.”

Venice – Public Squares Covered with Ugly Advertising and Invasive Coke-Cola Machines; L’Aquila – Neglected and Abandoned after the Earthquake of 2009; Rome – A ‘Phony Rome’ for Lazy Tourist; Ancient Pompeii – Littered with Cancerous Asbestos; Naples – An Archaeological Supermarket Controlled by the Camorra mafia; & the State of Sicily – No funding for Archaeology, but, they now have ‘Etnaland’ – An Disneyland Theme Park.

 

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“…I didn’t, however, cover the dimension you mention: B’s [Berlusconi’s] handling (or mishandling) of Italy’s cultural heritage. I’ve done a little inquiring about the situation at Pompeii where, of course, one of the houses collapsed. But I’d be curious to know more if you have more information.”

~ Prof. Alexander Stille, Personal Communication (26 October 2012).

“…Corruption is Italy is still a big problem, and it will be until it is linked to Berlusconi, and I insist:  [Arch. Federica] Galloni has been linked (and she still is) with Berlusconi’s party. The MiBAC doesn’t want widespread news of this to avoid compromising the news of the former business practices of Arch. Federica Galloni and Comm. Luciano Marchetti.”

~ An Italian Scholar and former Director-General with the MiBAC ,

Personal communication (15 June, 2012).

“Caro sig. Conde…L’archeologia in Italia è profondamente malate. Noi la vogliamo salvare e per questo diciamo che deve decisamente cambiare.”

~ Dr. Tsao Cevoli, Italian archaeologist &

Former President of the: “l’Associazione Nazionale Archeologi”,

Personal communication (26 December 2011).

“Caro sig. Conde, purtroppo siamo già alla distruzione della nostro patrimonio culturale. Così come della nostra democrazia. E il rammarico più grande è l’assoluta disattenzione e la totale mancanza di indignazione che accompagnano questo scempio. Povero nostro amato Paese. Con I migliori saluti, Manuela Ghizzoni.”

~ Comment by Hon. Manuela Ghizzoni, Member of the Italian Parliament

& President of the 7th Commission of Culture, Science, and Instruction,

Personal communication (9 March 2010).

INTRODUCTION:

ITALY’S – Guide to Archaeological, Architectural, and Cultural Heritage 2013 – “A Disgrace for Italy.”

 “In the case of Herculaneum, Prof. Giacomo Boni thinks that is it is impossible to spend more than $6000 USD yearly if it is desired that the excavation be gradual and fruitful. A hurried excavation, the professor added, would be injurious, and he concludes with protesting against the collection of funds abroad, which might contributed for personal advertisement and not as spontaneous offerings made in account of the of admiration for antiquities.”

 

~ “Prof. [Giacomo] Boni Doesn’t Want Foreign Interference at Herculaneum”,

THE NEW YORK TIMES,

(20 February 1907).

 

“Pompei – Amianto negli Scavi, il cancro uccide anche un custode – L’allarme, Una settimana fa era scomparsa un’archeologa. Ventiquattro vittime accerate I nomi saranno stampati su uno striscione di protesta.”

 ~ IL MATTINO, NAPOLI (01/12/2012), p. 41

 

“Pompeii – Asbestos in the excavations, cancer is also kills guard – Warning, a week ago another [Italian] archaeologist Passes Away. The twenty-four victims [Italian custodians, restoration specialists, administrators, architect, archaeologist, and operator] will be published on a banner in Protest.”

 

~ IL MATTINO, NAPLES (01 December 2012), p. 41.

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Recently, the ‘THE INDEPENDENT’ of London (21 & 16 April 2013), and the ‘NEW YORK TIMES’, both these newspapers briefly reported on the continuing degrading conditions of the vast archaeological complex of the ancient City of Pompeii, this following a surprise inspection by special police agents from the national Italian Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza agencies, as well as other regional anti-mafia and legal representatives from the City of Naples. These agencies, particularly the Italian Carabinieri, an independent branch of the Italian government largely responsible for the investigation and prosecution of criminal activities relating to incidents of theft, damage, or exploitation of Italy’s Cultural Heritage. Together, these new investigations are now focusing on the Camorra mafia organizations criminal activities centered on their recent involvement in the acquiring of public works contacts and current participation in several high-profile restoration projects conducted, and or just completed throughout the archaeological site of Pompeii. The preliminary restoration projects for Pompeii, were designed, implemented, and administrated by numerous political appointees of the Special Archaeological Commission for Pompeii, similar in intent to the other Special Commissions created for the archaeological area’s Rome and Ostia, all which had been established during the former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Government IV [8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011].

By: Martin G. Conde, Washington DC, USA (April 2013). mgconde[@]yahoo.com / Forthcoming / prossimo.