“It’s absolutely out of the question,” Alberto Bonisoli said of the proposed 60-metre-high wheel.
“We won’t even discuss it. No proposal has arrived at our offices, but if it were to arrive we would return it to sender.”
Local media revealed plans to build the so-called “Wheel of Pompeii” around 300 metres from the perimeter of the archaeological site, in a car park next to a Carrefour supermarket.
Tourists on the wheel would have a bird’s-eye view of Pompeii’s streets, villas, brothels, gladiator barracks and amphitheatre, as well as the Bay of Naples and the towering Mount Vesuvius.
However, critics argue the wheel will taint the skyline and violate the “cultural values of the archaeological area”, which attracts more than 3.5 million visitors a year.
The proposal is being reviewed by the local town council, but without approval from the government, it would have little chance of getting off the ground.
The archaeological site itself said it had not been informed of the construction plans and has requested more information from the local council, according to Italian media.
While the plan has been strongly opposed by many, photos of the site suggest that installation is already well underway.
Watch this space to find out how the ferris wheel saga ends.
