After declaring that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, a woman who had stolen several stones from the ancient city of Pompeii returned back the artefacts. The tourist made reference to the urban legend that taking from the historic monument would bring bad luck when she said she was unaware of the fabled 'curse'. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, an archaeologist, posted a photo of the letter and pumice stones he got from her on X, wherein, after expressing regret for what she did, the woman explains her circumstances.

"I didn't know about the curse. I didn't know that I should not take any rocks. Within a year, I got breast cancer. I am a young and healthy female and doctors said it was just 'Bad Luck.' Please accept my apology and these pieces", the letter read. It ended with "Mi dispiace" meaning "I'm sorry" in Italian. Swiss Hotel Arc-en-Ciel in Gstaad Apologises for Racist Notice for Indians, But Video of Family Caught Stealing in Bali Makes Matters Worse.

"Dear anonymous sender of this letter ... the pumice stones arrived in Pompeii... now good luck for your future & in bocca al lupo, as we say in Italy", in-charge of Archaeological Park of Pompeii wrote in the caption of the post. Nonetheless, reports of this kind of scenario have surfaced before. 2020 saw the return of certain relics by a visitor who declared them to be "cursed". According to a CNN report, Nicole, a Canadian, sent a package containing two mosaic tiles, pieces of an amphora, and a ceramic item to a tourist agency in Pompeii along with a confession note. Tourist Takes Selfies and Tries To Pet a Resting Bison; Slammed After Video Goes Viral.

"I took a piece of history that has crystallized over time and that has a lot of negative energy in it. People have died in such a horrible way and I have taken pieces related to that land of destruction. Since then, bad luck has played with me and my family. We can't ever seem to get ahead in life. I took a piece of history captured in a time with so much negative energy attached to it. People died in such a horrible way, and I took tiles related to that kind of destruction", the latter wrote in the letter.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2024 09:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).