Tod's to pitch in for pompeii rebuild

An Italian shoe magnate is preparing to step in and help to save the ancient site of Pompeii from disintegration, following last year's headline-grabbing collapses in key buildings.

Diego Della Valle, the owner of the luxury shoe brand Tod's, has said he "will give a helping hand" to rescue the ancient Roman city and World Heritage Site. In December, it emerged that Mr Della Valle had put his hand in his pocket and produced €25m (£21m) to help to save the Colosseum in Rome.

"The businessmen and people of Naples have to grab the opportunity to involve themselves in the restoration of Pompeii. If it's needed, I'm ready to lend a hand," he was reported as saying in Il Giornale dell'Arte magazine. A spokeswoman for Tod's told The Independent that Mr Della Valle was indeed ready help.

Nine people have been placed under investigation by the Italian authorities in connection with damage to the ruins last November. The House of the Gladiators and part of the House of the Moralist fell in quick succession at the 2,000-year-old World Heritage Site, prompting outcry.

Pompeii's former superintendent Pietro Giovanni Guzzo and excavations director Antonio Varone are among those being investigated in connection with the collapses, it has emerged.

Source: The Independent