Cyclone Harry damages cultural heritage in southern Italy, reveals archaeological sites

Cyclone Harry, a storm with wind, rain, and sea surges, hit the Italian regions of Calabria, Sicily, and Sardinia on January 22–23, causing an estimated €2 billion in damages. Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, assessor of Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity, ordered a rapid survey of damage to cultural sites and archaeological areas in Sicily, promising extraordinary intervention once quantification is complete. In Sardinia, the storm's waves exposed two tombs and several archaeological sites on the beach of Chia in Domus de Maria, southern Sardinia. Preliminary findings suggest the remains at Bithia date to the Phoenician period. The area has been secured pending specialist excavation. However, damage was also recorded at the archaeological site of Nora in Pula, near Cagliari, one of Sardinia's oldest cities with traces from the 7th century BCE, now partially submerged by six-meter waves. Cyclone Harry also reached Tunisia, particularly Nabeul and Mahdia, where previously buried or submerged remains emerged. Tunisia's Ministry of Cultural Affairs sent a scientific team to Néapolis (a Punic and Roman city partially submerged for two millennia) in Nabeul, and to Borj, Erras, and Salakta in Mahdia, to assess and secure the areas. Further evaluations will follow when weather conditions normalize.