Silvio Berlusconi

The Collapse of a Roman Building in Pompei

constantinakatsari November 7, 2010

Newagencies all over the world testified to the collapse of a Roman building within the complex of the Schola Armaturarum Juventus Pompeiani in the renowned city of Pompeii. The building may have survived earthquakes, volcano eruptions, wars, the Camora and almost 2.500.000 tourists a year but it has not survived the recent abundant rains! At least, this is what the Italian Minister of Culture, Sandro Bondi, claimed. It is obvious to me that the rains had nothing to do with the incompetence of t... »

Italians Legalise Illegal Antiquities

constantinakatsari July 10, 2010

A few days ago I received a desperate message from a friend who also happens to be an Italian Archaeologist working in Greece. According to the message, next week the Italian Parliament will approve of a law that will legalise the illegal ownership of antiquities. Effectively, if a pot or statue or coin has been found in the course of an illegal excavation and then sold to the market, the owner of the object will not face any legal consequences. On the other hand, it is obvious that the law will... »