Homeless man sentenced to 4 years for burning Pistoletto's Venus

Simone Isaia, a 32-year-old homeless man, was sentenced to four years in prison and a €4,000 fine by Judge Linda Comella in Naples for setting fire to Michelangelo Pistoletto's *Venere degli Stracci* in July 2023. The trial followed an abbreviated procedure. Despite Pistoletto's public plea for leniency and calls for therapeutic rather than punitive measures, the court imposed the sentence. Isaia is currently under house arrest in a shelter in Salerno province but may be returned to prison. Critics, including priest Franco Esposito, prisoners' ombudsman Samuele Ciambriello, and MANN director Paolo Giulierini, denounced the sentence as excessive and vindictive. An appeal is planned; on December 11, the judge will rule on a defense motion to revoke the measure. Meanwhile, a new *Venere degli Stracci* incorporating the original's skeleton is set to be installed in Piazza del Municipio on January 22, 2024, funded by Pistoletto. Crowdfunding proceeds will support two Neapolitan social cooperatives, Lazzarelle and La Scintilla Onlus.