A reconstructed Pompeii bridal chariot that eluded modern-day thieves in the ancient city is a star of a new exhibition in Rome.

Italian authorities have announced the extraordinary discovery of more than 2,000-year-old bronze statues in an ancient Tuscan thermal spring.

Italy has been so successful in recovering illegally exported ancient artworks and artifacts that it has created a museum just for them.

Pompeii officials said the men apparently escaped the initial fall of ash from Mount Vesuvius then succumbed to a powerful volcanic blast that took place the next morning. The later blast “apparently invaded the area from many points, surrounding and burying the victims in ash,” Pompeii officials said in a statement. That finding led archaeologists to hypothesize that he was a young man who did manual labor, like that of a slave. He was estimated to have been 30- to 40-years-old, Pompeii officials said. While excavations continue at the site near Naples, tourists are currently barred from the archaeological park under national anti-COVID-19 measures.