Presented today, at the Caserma “La Marmora” in Rome, headquarters of the Carabinieri Operational Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC), 337 cultural goods returned from the United States at the end of operations concluded between December 2025 and April 2026. The event was attended by Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli, U.S. Ambassador to Italy Tilman J. Fertitta, Carabinieri CUMS Palidoro Commander General Massimo Mennitti and Carabinieri Commander for the Protection of Cultural Heritage General Antonio Petti.
The recovered goods include mainly archaeological finds, archival documents and works of art, mostly from illegal excavations or stolen from cultural institutions and subsequently placed on the international market.
Detection and recovery activities were conducted by the TPC Command in collaboration with U.S. investigative and law enforcement authorities, including the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, andHomeland Security Investigations. This joint work, developed on investigative, judicial and institutional levels, made possible the recovery and return to Italy of illegally exported goods.
Of the 337 items repatriated, 221 were recovered through collaboration with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, while the other 116 returned on April 10, 2026 through a coordinated effort with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the District Attorney’s Office, with input, in one case, from New York auction house Christie’s.
Among the most significant pieces are a marble head of Alexander the Great dated to the first century AD and found in the Roman Forum, a bronze sculpture from Herculaneum, and two Egyptian basalt statues. The nucleus returned thanks to the Manhattan Prosecutor’s Office also includes works dated between the 5th century B.C. and the 3rd century A.D., including sculptures, bronzes, ceramics, and goldwork. The group recovered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation includes bronzes and terracottas dating from the Iron Age to the Hellenistic period, while the assets returned thanks to Homeland Security Investigations include a naval helm, a Canosian vase, and a series of Roman-era coins.
The return of these assets is the result of multifaceted investigations and international cooperation that has been consolidated in recent years in the fight against the illicit trade in artworks.
On December 5, 2025, Minister Alessandro Giuli and U.S. Under-Secretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers renewed the Memorandum of Understanding between Italy and the United States, which regulates bilateral collaboration in the field. The agreement expanded restrictions on the import of certain categories of Italian archaeological artifacts and strengthened customs controls, as well as boosted the exchange of information between the two states.
This cooperation is complemented by cooperation with U.S. museums and academic institutions, which complements investigations by encouraging returns, long-term loans and shared research projects. Thousands of works have returned to Italy since 2022, with a total value estimated in the tens of millions of euros.
The assets presented today represent significant evidence of the artistic production of ancient Italy, from the Villanovan age to the Roman and Hellenistic periods, including Etruscan, Greek, Italic and Egyptian elements. Their return makes it possible to trace scattered works back to their original contexts and make them available again for research and the public.
“Culture is not lost, not forgotten, but protected, recovered and, above all, returned to the community,” said Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli. “These precious testimonies will now be the subject of study, Protection and Enhancement so that they can return to their places of origin and public enjoyment. The excellent result we are celebrating today is the result of a choral work, involving institutions, law enforcement, and experts from Italy and the United States. Ours is a commitment that looks to the future: protecting our heritage means defending memory, strengthening identity and transmitting to new generations the value of culture as a universal public good.”
“Today marks the 25th anniversary of the close collaboration between Italian and U.S. law enforcement agencies, including the Carabinieri, Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” said U.S. Ambassador Tilman J. Fertitta. “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to protecting cultural heritage and combating illicit trafficking of artifacts. It represents a concrete example of what we can accomplish together: preserving priceless treasures, ensuring respect for the rule of law and strengthening lasting ties between the United States and Italy for future generations.”
“We are facing a complex criminal phenomenon capable of feeding increasingly sophisticated transnational circuits. To firmly counter the expoliation of our cultural heritage requires a timely response and, above all, one based on borderless investigative cooperation. Only through constant operational synergy with foreign authorities can we interrupt the chain of illicit profit and return the traces of our history to the community,” commented TPC Commander General Antonio Petti.
“International police cooperation, in addition to fostering valuable mutual knowledge, allows us to rebuild our collective memory by recovering works that, like ’prodigal sons,’ are welcomed back with an appreciation and affection even greater than that enjoyed before their loss,” added Carabinieri CUMS Palidoro Commander General Massimo Mennitti.
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| 337 cultural assets repatriated to Italy from the United States: officially unveiled today in Rome |
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