Italy: Private Museum Raided

Authorities in central Italy raided a villa in Lanuvio, south of Rome and have discovered inside an illegal collection of hundreds of classical antiquities forming a private museum. In Italy, all antiquities belong  stolen from the state.

Roman columns, statues, decorated marble and fragments of mosaic were found along with funeral plates and well-preserved terracotta vases. In one room police found display cabinets filled with ancient artefacts, while elsewhere they uncovered a bas-relief depicting a hunt and a collection of coins. The vast haul has been catalogued with the the help of the Lazio region’s cultural heritage superintendency, police said. Four people have been reported and accused of illegally possessing cultural heritage and state property.

Italy's looted treasures found in Rome 'museum' The Local, 7 Apr 2014