Italy has delivered 24 archaeological objects to Colombiaas well as an important terracotta sculpture, all of pre-Columbian art and of incalculable value, which were recovered thanks to two police investigations carried out in Florence and Turin (north), the Italian law enforcement forces reported today.
The discovery was the work of the carabineros (militarized police) of the Cultural Heritage Protection Command (TPC) of both cities, which identified the objects in the course of separate investigations aimed at combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property and also thanks to the cooperation provided by the Colombian Embassy in Italy.
These are 24 archaeological pieces of pre-Columbian art, including cups and sculptures of different shapes and typologies, stolen from Colombia and related to the archaeological regions of Muisca, Guane, Quimbaya and Nariño, explained the TPC Command in a statement.
“The goods were identified and confiscated by the TPC Nucleus of Florence in the course of specific prior controls in commercial establishments in the sector, notably at an auction house in Florence, where they had been put up for sale by the heir of a deceased collector“, is indicated in the note.