Back In Italy 60 Stolen Works Are Worth 20 Million ANSA Art

A total of 60 archaeological artifacts were returned from the United States to Italy, where they had been sold by international art smugglers. The collaboration between the Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC) and the New York County District Attorney's Office (DAO) has allowed the works, which are valued at over $20 million, to be returned to Italy.

A Pompeian fresco from the first century AD that shows the results of illegal excavations near Vesuvius is one of the artifacts that have been found. minister sangiuliano calls this an important victory against illegal trafficking. The recovered items, which included pieces that were left in foreign galleries, private homes, and museums for years without any legal claim to ownership, were actually the product of the theft of artifacts from Italian archaeological sites, which was encouraged by dishonest traffickers.

A lifetime purchase ban on antiquities has now been imposed on one of the largest collectors of ancient art in the world. Some finds had made their way into private US collections, including that of this collector, who had acquired some of the finds. The identification, recovery, and return of the finds—the outcome of the collaboration provided by the American institutions to the Italian ones—was the basis for the identification, recovery, and return of the criminals, and required not only the investigative work of the weapon and the competent US authorities but also the technical-scientific contribution of the experts of the Ministry of Culture and the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for judicial and police cooperation.

Nearly 75,000 archaeological and paleontological artifacts have been found (74,748), and 1,227 fake works have been discovered; if sold as genuine, these artifacts would be worth over 85 million euros. It is the outcome of the activity carried out in 2022 by the Carabinieri of the Protection of the TPC Cultural Heritage in opposition to the illicit trafficking of Cultural Heritage.

Hundreds of security checks in museums, libraries, and archives, searches, and 971 people were reported were part of the operational activity for the year, the data for which are not yet complete. There were 288 thefts of cultural assets in total, 10 of which occurred in museums and 123 in places of worship, which is specifically what was anticipated on the occasion of the presentation of the 60 assets recovered from the USA.

Additionally, 64 people reported for secret excavations, 31,672 works of art were controlled in the "Leonardo Data Bank," and 1,419 controls were conducted on land- and sea-based archaeological sites. Some of these controls were done in cooperation with the Carabinieri of the Aircraft Group or the Underwater Units. On the other hand, over 2,000 checks on antique dealers were made, some of which were done online, including through auction catalogues.

Since the beginning of the year, the TPC Carabinieri have conducted 1,584 checks on monumental or landscape sites (the latter done in coordination with the Forestry sector of the Arma), identifying illegal activity and moving forward with the referral of 124 people and the seizure of 8 properties and 2 between landscaped areas or structures (built without the necessary authorizations) falling within restricted areas. On the other hand, over 2,000 checks on antique dealers were made, some of which were done online, including through auction catalogues.

Since the beginning of the year, the TPC Carabinieri have carried out 1,584 checks on monumental or landscape sites (the latter carried out in agreement with the Forestry sector of the Arma), detecting illegal activities and proceeding with the referral of 124 people and the seizure of 8 properties and 2 between landscaped areas or structures (built without the required authorisations) falling within restricted areas. On the other hand, over 2,000 checks on antique dealers were made, some of which were done online, including through auction catalogues.

The identification, recovery, and return of the finds—the outcome of the collaboration provided by the American institutions to the Italian ones—was the basis for the identification, recovery, and return of the criminals, and required not only the investigative work of the weapon and the competent US authorities but also the technical-scientific contribution of the experts of the Ministry of Culture and the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for judicial and police cooperation.