Antiquities worth more than $11 million have been located and returned to Italy. Italy's culture minister Dario Franceschini welcomed back 201 antiquities that were illegally trafficked into the United States. The return of these items, 40 of which remain at the Italian Consulate General's office in New York until March 2022, marks a significant step toward the country's crackdown on stolen artifacts.
"Investigators have reconstructed a chain leading from illegal excavations to art dealers to U.S. museums, auction houses, art galleries and private collections," said Carabinieri cultural protection unit commander Roberto Riccardi during a Thursday press conference.
