Italy has announced the return of 145 ancient Greek coins to Greece — coins originally discovered on the island of Kos between 1929 and 1930 and held at the Archaeological Museum of Rome. The commitment was made public by Italy’s Culture Minister, Alessandro Giuli, during a meeting in Athens with his Greek counterpart, Lina Mendoni.

Beyond this significant gesture, Italy expressed strong support for Greece’s efforts to reunite the Parthenon Marbles, urging the British Museum to do what modern museum ethics demand: return these iconic sculptures to their rightful home in Athens.

Italy and Greece Plan Joint Cultural Initiatives

Minister Giuli proposed further strengthening cultural ties through:

• A joint exhibition featuring works by Greek-Italian painters Giorgio de Chirico and Alberto Savinio, alongside antiquities that inspired the metaphysical art movement.
• A Mediterranean Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival, celebrating folk traditions and the deep cultural connections across the region.

Both initiatives were warmly welcomed by Lina Mendoni, who emphasized the shared responsibility of Greece and Italy as guardians of Greco-Roman heritage, central to the foundations of Western civilization.

More Collaborative Projects Ahead

Other proposals discussed include:

• A dialogue-themed exhibition linking Futurism with modern Greek art, highlighting figures such as Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Constantine Cavafy, and Constantinos Parthenis.
• A combined showcase of two major archaeological exhibitions — “Cycladic Women: Untold Stories of Women of the Cyclades” (Santorini) and “Being a Woman in Pompeii” (Pompeii) — with plans for joint tours in Greece, Italy, and internationally.

Agreement on Heritage Protection

The meeting concluded with the signing of a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on the preservation of artifacts from the infamous Symes Collection, marking the end of a long-running antiquities trafficking case. This agreement reflects the strong partnership between Greece and Italy in combating illicit trade in cultural heritage.