Theft at a museum in Varese: ancient vases stolen

The police that are investigating are those who found and brought back from Ukraine to Italy the masterpieces of painters from Verona, but the investigation is slightly less international. Some finds of the historic collection of Varese “Museo Civico” have gone missing. Was it a grave robber or bad preservation? It is unknown, but someone from City Hall has thought that is was a theft, because charges were pressed at the police of “Nucleo tutela patrimonio” of Monza, to whom the District Attorney’s office delegated the investigations. (See photo of “Villa Mirabello”)

The inquiry is ongoing, but the theft is top secret and a very small number of people knew about it at Palazzo Estense, and only a few members of the current City Council were informed so far. According to the leaks the stolen goods were two ancient vases, with a value of a few million euros, and which were kept in a warehouse. It is unclear when the theft took place, but the charges date back to a few months.

According to the leaks, up until now it is not clear whether the vases disappeared one, two or five years ago, and it is the fact of not knowing the date of the theft that makes things complicated.

The former council member of Culture, Simone Longhini, did not know about the theft, probably because the charges were pressed after the month of June (according to Varesenews in December). The current council member, Roberto Cecchi, knows about the fact: “It’s true, I can confirm it, but the police inquiry is going on really discreetly, and for now I don’t have any report from the office, which informed me about the development of the inquiry.”

The new director of “Museo Civico”, Varese, Daniele Cassinelli, was informed, too, and from last December a series of cataloguing and work safety controls were launched. However, the police have already listened to the depositions of some employees of Varese City Hall. Apparently, nobody is under investigation, but the inquiry continues.