Italy announced that it has recovered 266 artifacts from the United States, estimated to be worth tens of millions of euros, which were trafficked by an international network and sold there in the late 1990s. The items, the oldest of which dates back to the 9th century BC, belong to periods of Etruscan civilization, Greater Greece, and the Roman Empire. A statement from a specialized unit of the Italian Carabinieri, issued on Friday, indicated that the recovery was made possible through cooperation between Italian and American judicial authorities.
Images from the Italian Ministry of Culture showed the artifacts, which include several vessels, a head of a statue, and some coins, displayed at a ceremony held a few days ago in New York to mark their recovery. The statement mentioned that 145 pieces were recovered as part of bankruptcy proceedings against an antiquities dealer. Additionally, 65 other items came from the Menil Collection museum in Houston, Texas. However, a spokesperson for the museum stated that the items were offered to the museum as a gift, but the donor was referred to the Italian Minister of Culture, who informed the museum that Italy was requesting the return of these pieces. The spokesperson added, "The Menil Collection rejected these artworks from the collector and they were never part of the museum's exhibits."
