Many Italian monuments could meet the fate of the 2,000-year-old House of Gladiators which collapsed in Pompeii on Saturday, Italian experts warned.
“With no maintenance and non-existent funds, the entire country is at risk. From Bologna's twin towers to the dome of Florence's Cathedral and Nero's Golden House in Rome, many other monuments could be reduced to rubble,” Alessandra Mottola Molfino, head of the environmentalist lobby Italia Nostra, told the daily Corriere della Sera.
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The alarm bell is echoed by the National Archaeological Association (ANA), who for years have been complaining about the poor upkeep of national monuments.
Indeed, last May the Italian archaeologists drew a risk map of cultural landmarks which included not only Pompeii and Herculaneum, the ancient Roman towns buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79, but also important archaeological sites.
These include Aquileia, named a UNESCO world heritage site for its Roman ruins; the doric columns which once adorned a temple of Poseidon in Taranto; the Roman site of Alba Fucens in Abruzzo; the ancient Greek colony Megara Hyblaea in Sicily; and the Servian and Aurelian walls in Rome.
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“Negligence and a lack of the most basic maintenance is causing irreversible damage to our archeological patrimony," Tsao Cevoli, head of ANA, said in a statement.
Neglet, heavy rain, and a recent roof restoration have caused the collapse of the House of Gladiators on Via dell’Abbondanza, one of Pompeii’s main street.
Called Schola Armaturarum in Roman times, the stone structure was used by gladiators who relaxed and trained there before fighting in the nearby amphitheater.
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The collapse represented a “shame for Italy,” President Giorgio Napolitano said. He called for an “immediate and honest” explanation.
“If there was any evidence that I was responsible for what has happened, then I would resign. On the contrary, I stand by the great work that has been done," Culture Minister Sandro Bondi said.
The collapse of the House of the Gladiators is the third major collapse in a year. Last March part of the ceiling of the Domus Aurea, or Nero's Golden Palace, crumbled in the center of Rome. Two months later a slab of lime plaster fell off the Colosseum, the giant amphitheater built in Rome under the Flavian emperors.
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"Inevitably, there will be other collapses, other ruins, other disasters," the Italian daily La Repubblica wrote, blaming Berlusconi’s government for cutting funds to preserve Italy's huge cultural heritage.
According to Mottola Molfino, among the monuments at greater risk are the medieval towers in Bologna, which stand in the middle of a busy road intersection run by many heavy vehicles.
“The towers' stability really worries us. However, every single monument in Italy is at risk. Only St. Peter’s in Rome and the cathedral in Milan are safe as they have dedicated workshops which monitor the monuments and can intervene immediately," Mottola Molfino said.
SEE ALSO: Ceiling at Nero's Golden Palace Collapses In Rome
The Italian government is cutting a total of 280 million euros ($390 million) on culture budgets. Combined with reductions to local administrations, the cuts could total around 800 million euros ($1.1 billion) over the next two years.
The measure “could have disastrous consequences for the Italian cultural system," said Federculture chairman Roberto Grossi.
As a protest, hundreds of museums, libraries, archaeological sites and theaters will close their doors on Friday.
Photo: A house in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii once used by gladiators to train before combat collapsed. credit: AP Photo
Tags: Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Rome, Archaeology, Conservation
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