Italy recovers thousands of antiquities in 2021

Italian officials on Thursday displayed dozens of stolen artworks that have been recovered from around the world. Around 200 artworks were recovered in December after having been illegally traded to private collectors or museums in the U.S. over the last decade, the head of Carabinieri unit for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, told a press conference in Rome.

The objects are worth about 10 million euros and date from the 8th century B.C. to the 1st century A.D. The Carabinieri unit said they recovered 23,000 archaeological artworks in 2021 and also seized thousands of fake pieces of art that would have been worth over 427 million euros if sold on the market.

This includes almost 800 archaeological items dating to the Daunian civilization, an Italic civilisation which inhabited Apulia region in Southern Italy in pre-Roman era, which were recovered from Belgium in June.