Italy has backed Greece’s long-running effort to secure the return of the Parthenon Marbles, with Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli voicing support for the Greek position during a visit to Thessaloniki.
Giuli made the comments alongside Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, where the countries marked the return of 145 bronze coins from Italy and renewed an agreement on cooperation against antiquities trafficking.
The expanded partnership will focus on tracing, preserving and restoring cultural objects removed from their original locations, including thousands of archaeological fragments connected to the case of convicted antiquities dealer Robin Symes.
Mendoni said the cooperation, launched in 2025, includes research and restoration work on about 70,000 pottery fragments discovered in the possession of a company linked to Symes.
The Symes investigation, which began after authorities uncovered a warehouse on Schinoussa, has been described as one of the largest antiquities-trafficking cases in recent decades and has resulted in the return of hundreds of artifacts to Greece.
The renewed Italian support comes as Athens continues diplomatic efforts to reunite the Parthenon Marbles, held by the British Museum, with the remaining sculptures of the Parthenon in Athens.
Source: Tovima.
