Ancient City of Pompeii Crumbling After Heavy Rains Hit Italy

By: By Sean Breslin

Published: March 4,2014

 

 

 

 

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This photo taken on March 2, 2014 shows the damaged Temple of Venus at the ancient ruins of Pompeii, near Naples, southern Italy. (MARIO LAPORTA/AFP/Getty Images)

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Days of heavy rain in southern Italy damaged pieces of Pompeii over the weekend, causing new pressure on the country to do a better job of preserving some of the most famous ruins in the world.
The ancient city buried by volcanic ash during an eruption in 79 A.D. lost a tomb wall and a piece of an arch supporting a temple of Venus over the weekend, according to Reuters. The third collapse in as many days was a workshop wall  that had been reinforced with an iron bar during a massive project to restore the Pompeii ruins, the report said.
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"We need a plan of action to ensure security in the entire area. Without strong drainage for rainwater, it is clear that Pompeii is destined to collapse entirely," said Giovanni Puglisi, chief of UNESCO, according to the Australian.
The New York Times confirms there was an emergency meeting called by Dario Franceschini, Italy's new culture minister, to discuss the problem with Pompeii archaeological officials.
After the meeting, Italy approved 2 million Euros ($2.7 million) in funding to be spent on routine maintenance to repair the crumbled walls, the Associated Press reports.
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Just one week ago, the House of the Cryptoporticus reopened to the public after being one of the first buildings restored as a part of the 105-million-Euro ($145 million) "Great Pompeii" project to reinforce the ancient site, the New York Times reported. But much of that money has remained unspent and the project has stalled at times due to bureaucracy, the AP added.
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An abandoned subway station at City Hall in New York isn't open to the public, but its abandoned beauty lies right under the tracks of other trains currently in service. (Photo: John-Paul Palescandolo)