Under the auspices of the Archaeological Superintendency of Southern Etruria
A roundtable discussion will be held at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia in the Hall of Fortune

Event Theme:  Illicit trafficking and recovered cultural patrimony: Results and Perspective

Date:  Thursday, January 24, 2013

Pieghevole Tavola Rotonda 24 gennaio 2013(1)A roundtable discussion on Illicit trafficking and recovered cultural patrimony: Results and Perspective, will be held at Fortune Hall at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia.

The meeting, chaired by journalist Cinzia Dal Maso, will serve as the closing event to the Villa Giulia’s current exhibition, I predatori dell’Arte e il Patrimonio ritrovato.

An internationally focused exhibition, inaugurated on European Heritage Day 2012 which  ran from September 29th through December 15th 2012 was inaugurated on the occasion of the European Heritage Days 2012 and was exhibited on the first floor of the Villa Giulia. The exhibition consisted of recovered objects, illegally looted and trafficked from multiple locations around Italy dating back as far as the 1970′s and recovered as the result of seizures made, beginning in Switzerland in 1995.

As a result of the exhibitions success in Italy’s capital city, Rome, the pieces will go on display in the Spring at the National Archaeological Museum of Vulci and at the National Etruscan Museum of Cerveteri during the summer.

This January round table discussion, draws upon the title of the exhibition and was developed to provide a platform for thoughtful discussion and scientific debate regarding the sharing of information throughout this series of interwoven cases.  The round table will cover the various flows of information throughout the cases lengthy discovery and will consist of many principle voices involved in the information sharing of this case.  This discussion will strive to present a critical comparison and analysis of the problems associated with illicit trafficking while focusing on differing perspectives in achieving possible solutions for the long term problem.

Based on these considerations, the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Southern Etruria, in collaboration with the Directorate General of Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture, has planned a day of topics divided into morning and afternoon panel sessions.  One session will focus on the results obtained so far in the field recovery.  The second session will  be forward thinking, looking towards the future and Italy’s prospects for the recovery of its cultural patrimony.

During the first session, after the introduction from the Director General of Antiquities Luigi Malnati, there are themed presentations aimed at highlighting the operational aspect of the cases, showing the work done by the Judiciary, the Carabinieri TPC, by the Guardia di Finanza and by the archaeologists Ministry of Culture.   Those attending the session will have the opportunity to hear the thoughts and impressions of General Roberto Conforti, former Commander of the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection, Guglielmo Muntoni, President of the Court of Review of Rome, Maurizio Fiorilli Attorney General of the State, Lynda Albertson, CEO The Association for Research into Crimes Against Art, Major Massimiliano Quagliarella, Head of Operations Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection and Major Massimo Rossi, Commander of the Cultural Heritage Protection Group of the Guardia di Finanza. Rounding out the discussions will be Italian journalists Fabio Isman and Cecilia Todeschini.

The afternoon session, focusing on future initiatives in the field will discuss guidelines and possible solutions to the trafficking problem.  Speakers will include Alfonsina Russo, Superintendent Archaeologist for Southern Etruria, Paolo Giorgio Ferri, Magistrate and judicial advisor to the Directorate General for Antiquities, Jeannette Papadopoulos, Director of Services III to the Directorate General for Antiquities, Anna Maria Dolciotti the Directorate General of Antiquities, Pier Giovanni Guzzo, former Superintendent Archaeologist for Naples and Pompeii, Francesca Spatafora, Director of the  Archaeological Park Himera, and Maurizio Pellegrini, official archaeologist of the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Southern Etruria.

After the presentations, the floor will open for discussion and feedback of the topics presented followed by a wine tasting from the wine cellars of Casale Cento Corvi e Castello di Torre in Pietra.

To receive a copy of this year’s prospectus and information on how to apply, please contact:

education (at) artcrimeresearch.org

Providing an arena for intellectual and professional exchange, the annual Art Crime conference is integral to the nonprofit’s mission and serves as a forum which aims to facilitate a critical appraisal of the protection of art and heritage worldwide.

Bringing together international scholars, law enforcement experts, art professionals, the general public and students in ARCA’s postgraduate certificate program in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection, speakers have the opportunity to discuss and examine contemporary issues of common concern in this important field.   

Held in the beautiful town of Amelia in the heart of Umbria, the conference will include plenary sessions, key note speaker(s), a Friday evening cocktail reception and an awards dinner on Saturday evening —which will honor the 2013 recipients of ARCA’s annual award for outstanding scholarship and professional dedication to the protection and recovery of cultural heritage. 

ARCA welcomes speaking proposals from individuals in relevant fields, including law, criminal justice, security, art history, conservation, archaeology, or museum management. We invite individuals interested in presenting to submit their topic of choice along with a concise 200 word abstract and current resume or CV to ARCA’s conference coordinator,  Dr. Derek Fincham, at: derek.fincham (at) artcrimeresearch.org

Presenters are asked to limit their oral presentations to 20 minutes which will be grouped into panels organized thematically.  This will allow time for questions from the audience at the conclusion of each session.

To receive a copy of this year’s prospectus and information on how to apply, please contact:

education (at) artcrimeresearch.org

education (at) artcrimeresearch.org