News

Appia Antica Low-Traffic Zone (ZTLT): Trial of Electronic Checkpoints Begins on September 19

Starting September 19, 2026, a pilot program will begin for electronic access control gates in the new “Appia Antica” Territorial Limited Traffic Zone (ZTLT). The first phase will be a pre-operational phase, during which the checkpoints w...
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Massa: Mr. Savethewall’s mural has been in storage for months; the work’s future remains uncertain

Just one year after its completion, the future of the mural by Pierpaolo Perretta—known by his artist name Mr. Savethewall—commissioned by the City of Massa, is once again at the center of public debate because the work, created on modular concrete b...
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AStArte: More Security and Staff in Sicilian Museums

The National Association of Art Historians—AStArte— has once again spoken out on the situation of Sicilian cultural heritage, calling on the Region to strengthen the ranks of specialized professionals within its workforce and to address the security ...
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Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau on a private visit to the Museum of San Marco in Florence

During their recent stay in Italy, Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau chose the Museo di San Marco in Florence for a strictly private visit. The American singer andthe former Canadian prime minister thus had the opportunity to explore up close one of the ...
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Antonello da Messina’s *Ecce Homo*, purchased by the government, has been loaned to the CL Meeting

It has barely arrived, and already it must leave: Antonello da Messina’s*Ecce Homo*, purchased by the Italian government last February for $14.9 million (approximately 12.6 million euros), and added to the exhibition at the MuNDA —the National ...
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Antonello's Theft: Mafia Links and Internal Complicity Not Ruled Out. Report About the Van Denied

The Messina Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an intensive investigation following the theft of the panels by Antonello da Messina. The current tally from the heist indicates that four works remain missing out of the six that were initial...
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Illegal Excavations in Crimea: Ukraine Investigates Two Russian Archaeologists

In Ukraine, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol has formally opened an investigation into alleged illegal activities carried out in the field of archaeology within the territory of the peninsu...
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What's the point of stealing a masterpiece by Antonello da Messina? Possible theories

The central question, following the theft of Antonello da Messina’s panels from the “Maria Accascina” Regional Museum in Messina, concerns the possible motive: why steal such famous, easily recognizable works? Four panels by Antonello da ...
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Theft of a painting by Antonello da Messina: the van used in the getaway has been found; the hunt is on for the accomplice

There has been a first, small breakthrough in the investigation into the theft of Antonello da Messina’s paintings: the van used by the perpetrators of the sensational theft of Antonello da Messina’s works —which took place on the night o...
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Fire Breaks Out During Fireworks Display; Flames Threaten the Aragonese Castle in Ortona

A dramatic Ferragosto in Ortona ( Chieti), where late yesterday evening, Sunday, August 16, a fire broke out behind the Aragonese Castle—the city’s symbol—during the fireworks display that was to conclude a local festival, the Feast of San Roc...
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A Picasso painting stolen in 1961 has resurfaced, and now the Guggenheim wants it back

A painting by Pablo Picasso stolen more than sixty years ago has been recovered, and now the Guggenheim Museum in New York wants it back. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation has filed a lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court to secure the retu...
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Why the theft of Antonello da Messina's paintings is such a huge loss

The theft of the two panels by Antonello da Messina from the “Maria Accascina” Regional Museum in Messina—the MuMe—is not merely the removal of two works of great value. It is an incident that directly affects an essential part of Western...
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Farewell to Lorenzo Quilici, a leading figure in Italian archaeology and a scholar of the ancient landscape

Italian archaeology has lost one of its most authoritative and prominent figures with the passing of Lorenzo Quilici, a leading scholar who dedicated his entire life to the study of ancient topography, road networks, the evolution of settlements, and...
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The Theft of the Antonello da Messina Painting: What We Know So Far

What do we know so far about the theft of Antonello da Messina’s panels from the “Maria Accascina” Regional Museum (MuMe) in Messina? Four panels were stolen from the museum: the central panel of the San Gregorio Polyptych, depicting the ...
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Theft of Antonello da Messina’s Works: AStArte Highlights Security Flaws

The theft of the three surviving panels from the San Gregorio Polyptych and the double-sided panel by Antonello da Messina did not come as a surprise tothe National Association of Art Historians, which issued a statement on the matter. President Silv...
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Farewell to Mary Heilmann, a painter of contemporary American abstract art

She passed away on August 14, 2026, at the age of 86, following complications from a fall, Mary Heilmann, one of the most significant figures in contemporary American abstract painting, whose body of work helped profoundly renew the relationship betw...
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