Hello Everyone! Welcome to my first newsletter. It’s a chance to highlight some of the stories you may have missed and to celebrate some of Italy’s hidden secrets. Let me know what you’d like me to highlight as we travel this journey along La Dolce Via. And if you like the article, please share the link below where others can subscribe - for free!
Now this week we look at the fate of an ancient Roman mosaic. Handed over to the Pompeii Archeological Park last year, it made headlines around the world. And why not?
The priceless 2000-year old mosaic, which depicts an intimate moment between two lovers, is believed to date from somewhere between the 1st century B.C. and the 1st century A.D.
Stolen by a German Nazi captain stationed in Italy during World War II, the erotic mosaic was found among the heirlooms of another German who had apparently received it as a gift.
After the unnamed German’s death, relatives contacted the Carabinieri cultural heritage protection unit. They then handed the mosaic over to the Italian Consulate in Stuttgart. But its true origin was baffling.
The ministry of culture decided to give it the Archeological Park of Pompeii. After all, it looked like the mosaics recovered in the city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
At first, it was thought that the mosaic had adorned the floor of a bedroom inside a wealthy Pompeii villa. But research soon revealed that the relic had nothing to do with the ancient city.
The mosaic actually came from a Roman villa in Rocca di Morro, near Folignano, in the Marche region of central Italy.
Alessandro Giuli, Italy’s culture minister, hailed the recovery of the mosaic and its scientific verification as well as what he called the “restoration of historical truth”.
“Every stolen asset that is returned to Italy represents a fragment of our identity that is returned to the community,” he said.
Matteo Terrani, the mayor of Folignano, was thrilled to hear the mosaic would soon be coming home.
“This event restores a precious fragment of Folignano’s memory and strengthens the deep bond between our community and its ancient history,” Terrani said.
Scientific analysis conducted by Pompeii experts and the University of Sannio, led experts at first to think that the mosaic came from Latium, modern day Lazio, but their chance encounter with Giulia D’Angelo, an archeologist originally from Le Marche, helped to identify its true origins.
“This is an example of how dedication, professionalism and passion can lead to unexpected discoveries, not just in Pompeii, but also in less well-known sites,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archeological Park of Pompeii.
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