Work begins on Pompeii makeover

Conservation workers have begun a $A138 million makeover of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. Source: AAP

CONSERVATION workers at the long-neglected Roman city of Pompeii have begun a 105 million euros ($A138 million) makeover partly funded by the EU, a day after former site managers were put under investigation for corruption.

The project, which is being funded to the tune of 41.8 million euros from the European Union and is to be completed by 2015, is seen as crucial for the survival of Pompeii after a series of collapses at the 44-hectare site in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.

The giant erupting volcano devastated Pompeii nearly 2000 years ago in 79 AD but the ash and rock helped preserve many buildings almost in their original state, as well as forming eerie shapes around the curled-up corpses of victims of the disaster.

The hugely popular site near Naples has come to symbolise the decades of mismanagement of many of Italy's cultural treasures, as well as the fallout from recent austerity cuts in budgets for culture.

The repairs are aimed at reducing the risk of exposure to the elements, reinforcing the ancient Roman buildings, restoring Pompeii's famous frescoes and increasing video surveillance at the site where security has been lax for many years.

The work begun on Wednesday was on two ancient Roman homes - one known as the Criptoportico and the other as the Casa dei Dioscuri, one of the most finely decorated buildings in the ruins.

"It's a first small step to revamp the whole area," said European Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who inaugurated the project along with Italy's interior, culture and regional policy ministers.

"It is absolutely necessary that we have a program to revamp cultural sites in Italy. It is also a huge business economic opportunity," he said.

Hahn stressed it would be carried out with "full transparency" after a series of scandals at Pompeii.

On the eve of the opening ceremony, Italian financial police announced they were investigating Marcello Fiori, a former director of the site appointed by then prime minister Silvio Berlusconi in 2009, for alleged abuse of office.

Luigi D'Amora, Pompeii's previous supervisor of restoration work, was also accused of defrauding the state. Meanwhile a former contractor, Annamaria Caccavo, was placed under house arrest for hugely inflating costs.

One contract priced by Caccavo at 449,882 euros ended up costing the state 4.84 million euros, prosecutors said in court documents.

Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage site, provides a snapshot of daily life in Roman times and includes such gems as the famous Villa of Mysteries, which is decorated with frescoes that appear to show a woman's initiation ceremony into a cult.

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