Police Recover Stolen Artwork from Churches Destroyed in Aquila’s Earthquake

Girolamo Stabile. “Il Polittico di San Rocco,” 1540. Church of San Rocco di Formia. Photo courtesy of: Wikipedia.org.

37 artworks dating back from the 16th century to the 20th century were recovered in Italy over the past few months. Notably, five of the 27 artworks were lifted from two churches in Aquila: San Nicola a Capestrano and San Giacomo Apostolo a Scoppito. Aquila is the capital city in the Abruzzo region of Italy that was leveled by an earthquake in 2009, which caused these two churches to shut down. Other of the recovered works were stolen from the Church of San Rocco di Formia and a painting by Guido Reni.

Salerno’s District Attorney’s Office launched an investigation starting in September 2017 against this missing artwork – which they nicknamed “Artquake.” The stolen artworks were found in various luxury villas on the Amalfi Coast. Many wealthy Russian tourists traveling to this area would rent these villas for vacation for extra luxury to see the precious art.

The Police’s Command Protection of Cultural Heritage was able to complete this operation within the art market by investigating works with probable suspicious origin. The Police have now identified several people who are interested in both stealing and reselling art or those willing to purchase cultural goods with little care to their dubious origin just to expand their collections. The investigation prevailed and the Police were able to recover thirty-seven pieces of art, including a painting by Guido Reni, a renowned Baroque artist.

The Police have identified 16 thieves, who stole these pieces over the last 20 years in various Italian regions. Three thieves have not yet been captured. The recovered works will be returned after their authenticity is confirmed.

-Lauren Spinelli