US and Italy Renew Pact Against Art Trafficking Amid Diplomatic Strains

Italian and U.S. officials celebrated the continuation of a 25-year collaboration to combat illicit trafficking of cultural property, with Italy's culture minister Alessandro Giuli declaring the United States Italy's closest ally in the fight. The event, held on April 29, 2026, featured the return of trafficked objects including Etruscan vases, Roman-era bronze and marble statues, Byzantine coins, and a 13th-century manuscript page. These artifacts were recovered from American museums, auction houses, and private galleries over the past year, identified through investigations by Italy's art theft police working with the Manhattan district attorney's office, the FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations. The partnership has returned thousands of stolen artifacts to Italy. The ceremony occurred amid low U.S.-Italy relations, following President Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV and a subsequent rebuke of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for defending the pope.