A few days ago, 750 archaeological finds returned to Italy, repatriated following the conclusion of a long negotiation with the liquidators of Symes Ltd, the English company in liquidation that had belonged to the art dealer, who later turned out to be a trafficker of cultural heritage, Robin Symes, the same who had sold the Venus of Morgantina to the Getty Museum.
The return is the result of a long and meticulous work, which lasted almost 17 years, culminating in a settlement agreement with the liquidators of Symes, the last act of complex procedures that involved several organs of the State and an active collaboration with the Hellenic Republic, also interested in regaining possession of hundreds of other artifacts stolen in Greece. Overall, almost all of the nucleus of over 800 finds, dating from the eighth century BC and the Middle Ages, has returned to Italy: statues, utensils, clay vases, furnishings, sarcophagi, jewels, even 26 necklaces recomposed to be sold, or decorative elements of equine harnesses, with a large cross-section of elements of Etruscan origin or from Magna Graecia, whose value is estimated at 12 million euros. Another 71 finds, currently in the United States, will be recovered in the coming days by the carabinieri of the Protection of Cultural Heritage while a further group of fragments is still being studied by Italian and Greek archaeologists for which the provenance must be established to assign their return to their respective states.
"Works of art cannot become the object of illegal activities or worse than archaeo-mafias: the illegal market must be cut off" said the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, who wanted to participate in the presentation of the recovered works. The "circulation" of works of art, he stressed, "is favored by the great exhibitions and exchanges we are pursuing" with a proven system that allows citizens to appreciate an increasingly varied offer". Sangiuliano, who thanked the core of the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Command and all the managers and archaeologists who presided over the complex recovery operations of the finds and curated the exhibition at Castel Sant'Angelo, then launched a warning: "What is recovered must never end up in the deposits, but must be museumized or otherwise exhibited in other initiatives to become immediately usable" by the public.
On this occasion, the exhibition of the finds at Castel Sant'Angelo shows, among the most valuable pieces, a bronze tripod table from an aristocratic context of the Etruscan orientalizing, two equine parade headboards of Appulo-Lucanian scope, two funerary paintings of the southern area and then objects of the Roman era, including some virile marble heads of the imperial age. Affected by the complex procedure of asset recovery, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office and resulting in an out-of-court procedure and a civil case, conducted in close collaboration with the MIC and the Attorney General of the State, also Greece, the other country together with Italy looted by traffickers. "Today Italy and Greece, two countries of ancient civilization seriously affected by all kinds of trafficking of cultural goods, celebrate a victory in a difficult, complex and long-lasting struggle against those who seek to appropriate their history and their heritage", said the Greek ambassador Eleni Sourani who in the matter of "restitutions" acknowledged that Italy had set an example "by returning the Fagan fragment".
"The recovery of illicitly stolen cultural heritage is one of the priorities of my program, protecting also means preventing our heritage from being plundered by unscrupulous traffickers" said Sangiuliano who praised the constant commitment of the Carabinieri dell'Arte "aimed at protecting the Italian cultural heritage", as noted by Brigadier General Vincenzo Molinese, TPC commander.
