Stolen Titian Masterpiece Recovered in Asti, Returned to Italy

A painting by Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), valued at approximately €3 million, was recovered in the Asti area in 2020 by the Carabinieri's Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Turin. The work, titled "Il gentiluomo col cappello" (The Gentleman with the Hat), depicts a red-bearded man in three-quarter profile wearing a black cap. It had been missing since the early 2000s when it was illegally exported to Switzerland. Two Swiss citizens were investigated for receiving stolen goods and violating Italy's cultural heritage code, but the charges have since expired due to the statute of limitations. The painting will be officially returned to the Italian state during a ceremony on May 19, 2022, at Palazzo Chiablese in Turin, attended by Roberto Riccardi, commander of the Carabinieri's Cultural Heritage Protection Command, and architect Luisa Papotti, Superintendent for the Metropolitan City of Turin. The recovery occurred during an inspection at a restoration laboratory in the Asti area.