Italy shows off restored Pompeii villa

Italy unveiled the restored crown jewel of the ancient city of Pompeii last Friday, showing off a rare success story as it races to shore up the site marred by such mismanagement and neglect that it risked losing European Union funding and its UNESCO World Heritage site listing.

Culture Minister Dario Franceschini cut the ribbon to open the restored Villa of Mysteries, a spectacular estate on the outskirts of Pompeii's city center that features some of the best-preserved frescoes of the site.

Franceschini said that while problems still remain at Pompeii, Italy was on schedule to meet a deadline to spend 105 million euros ($111 million) in EU funds by the end of the year for maintenance and restoration projects.