Stairway decoration in Belgian home found to be long-lost Pompeii artifact

Dec. 15 (UPI) -- A Belgian father and son were shocked to learn a souvenir that had adorned the hallway of their home for about 50 years was an authentic artifact from the lost Italian city of Pompeii.

Raphaël De Temmerman, 80, and his son, Geert De Temmerman, said they visited Italy in 1975, and while touring the city of Pompeii they were approached by a man who offered to sell them a souvenir: some carved stones depicting a scene.

The stone scene was installed in a stairway at the family's Herzele home, and little thought was given to it until this year, when Raphaël De Temmerman was preparing to move out of the house and his son decided to have the object appraised.

A pair of specialists from the Gallo-Roman museum in Tongeren visited the home to inspect the stone scene, and the next day the family was visited by police officers, who drew up a report.

The father and son said they were surprised to be told the stairway decoration was an authentic Pompeii artifact that had been reported stolen 50 years earlier.

"It's a bit crazy to think that tourists have looked at a replica, while the original has been hanging here all this time," Geert De Temmerman told 7sur7 news.

An Christiaens, Tongeren's deputy mayor for culture, said officials are keen to see the artifact returned to Italy.

Geert De Temmerman said he will comply with whatever plans authorities devise for the stones to return to Pompeii, but he is hoping for some financial compensation.

Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79, and the city is now an archaeological site protected by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.