Culture Minister Dario Franceschini
on Thursday hailed UNESCO's decision to extend until 2016 the
deadline for completion of restoration at the world-famous
archaeological site of Pompeii.
The so-called Great Pompeii Project was originally
scheduled for completion this year.
"The UNESCO inspectors' words are the rightful recognition
of an effort that has been intense, scrupulous and methodical,"
Franceschini said of the project launched by the government in
2013 with joint Italian and European Union funding to shore up
the crumbling remains of the ancient Roman town buried by the
eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79.
The EU had earmarked a total of 105 million euros for
Pompeii.
Since then, UNESCO has repeatedly expressed concern about
conditions at the World Heritage site, threatening to remove it
from the list if certain improvements were not made.
Now in a report the UNESCO inspectors reported "tangible
and significant improvements in the state of conservation" of
the archaeological area.
"Italy is making a considerable effort to adopt the
recommendations of the World Heritage Committee," the inspectors
continued, recommending the extension of the Great Pompeii
Project to the end of 2016.
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