Culture

Private house museum with stolen masterpieces discovered in Italy

Italian authorities discovered a villa turned into a private museum, which houses hundreds of artifacts stolen from the state.

Police found this house in Lanuvio, located south of Rome. Roman columns, statues, decorated fragments of marble, frescoes, vases - all this was found in an impromptu house-museum. In one of the halls was an office where ancient artifacts were stored, which include sketches and a whole collection of coins. To date, police have already detained four suspects who are allegedly the owners of the mansion with valuables.

Taking into account the fact that Italy, rich in talents, stores a huge number of historical artifacts and works of art, the country's police regularly encounter thefts of cultural property. So, last month, the unknown, bypassing the tight guard, entered the Pompeii complex, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and stole part of the fresco.

A few days ago, in the homeland of Michelangelo and Botticelli, they discovered other masterpieces of world art - two paintings by Paul Gauguin and Pierre Bonnard, stolen almost forty years ago. Missing art objects were found in the kitchen from an ordinary worker who admitted that he had acquired them for almost a penny and had no idea that they were stolen.

The man did not even suspect that the creations of great artists were hanging on his wall until his son accidentally stumbled upon another picture of Gauguin in a magazine and noticed an unusual similarity between the two canvases.

The Italian immediately turned to experts for help in assessing his property, and later a special bureau for investigating such cases contacted him. By the way, the total value of finds can reach at least 10.6 million euros.

Last month, 68 more were added to the list of cultural heritage of Italy. It is precisely the number of allegedly stolen artifacts that the Swiss authorities returned to the country of wine and sun, and the total number of art and history objects returned over the past 13 years to their homeland was 4,500. “The last 69 artifacts completed the process of mutual assistance between the two countries, which lasted for many years, and allowed the transfer of 4,536 historically important objects,” said the representative of the Ministry of Culture of Switzerland, noting that hundreds more items were seized from thieves in the country.

Italy turned to a neighboring country for help in 2001 after it became known that there was a whole network that included antique dealers, businessmen, bankers, and others involved in the illegal sale of art objects and their export abroad. Swiss investigators discovered about 5,800 artifacts smuggled into the country, many of which came directly from Italy. Five icons that once belonged to Greece were also returned to their historic homeland.

Watch the video: Italy: Stolen Van Gogh paintings found by anti-Mafia police (November 2024).

Popular Posts

Category Culture, Next Article

How to get from Rome to Pompeii yourself
How to get there

How to get from Rome to Pompeii yourself

The Pompei Archaeological Site of Rome is 239 kilometers away. You can get there on your own in 2.5 hours by car or by public transport - trains and buses, but this will be a whole adventure. In the article I will tell you in detail about all the options, let's go! The exact address of the complex: Via Villa dei Misteri, 80045 Pompei NA, Italy By car The most interesting thing is to get to Pompeii, traveling by rented car.
Read More
How to get from Verona to Sirmione
How to get there

How to get from Verona to Sirmione

The distance from Verona to the city of Sirmione (Sirmione), located on the shores of Lake Garda (Lago di Garda), is 40 kilometers. You can get to Sirmione from Verona by public transport in about an hour and 1.3 euros by bus. A taxi will cost about 80 euros. There is also the option to travel by yourself on a rented car, but it is only suitable for experienced travelers.
Read More
How to get from Pisa to Rome on your own
How to get there

How to get from Pisa to Rome on your own

The distance from Rome to Pisa is 360 kilometers. The fastest way to get there is by public transport - by train, cheaper - by bus, but you can make the trip more interesting, for example, by renting a car right at the airport and making a route through Florence, the Tuscany region and Umbria - drive through small fabulous towns.
Read More
Historic Italian Railways
How to get there

Historic Italian Railways

In Italy, ten historical railway routes have been opened. Having bought a ticket for an old train, those who wish are able to enjoy the charming landscapes slowly passing by and learn about the history of the country. On May 17, 2014, the first Sulmona-Castell di Sangro tourist route was launched in the Abruzzo region.
Read More