About 60 archaeological finds illegally stolen by international traffickers and recovered in the US thanks to the teamwork of the Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office return to Italy. Among the repatriated works, the Pompeian fresco which depicts an infant Hercules strangling a snake (1st century), a marble head of Athena and a kylix with a white background stand out. The Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano, who spoke yesterday during the presentation of the findings in the Sala Spadolini of the Ministry of Culture in Rome declared himself satisfied: "What happens today (yesterday, ed.) is thanks to the nucleus Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Carabinieri, the Italian judiciary and effective collaboration with the United States". "Article 9 of our Constitution reminds us of the importance of protecting the artistic and museum assets of the nation's heritage - explains the minister - because protecting does not only mean preserving but also avoiding that the heritage can be plundered and end up in places where it should not be". The head of the Collegio Romano stressed that "we have the duty to guarantee legal certainty also in the context of the traffic of cultural heritage. We need to get things back to where they were plundered. The certainty of international law is a guarantee of coexistence and civilization.” Christina Tomlinson, Minister Counsellor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Rome, said: “This return to Italy is testament not only to the valuable collaboration between Italy and the US, but also to the teamwork and perseverance of Italians and Americans who have worked together”.
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