In a special ceremony held at the Greek embassy in Rome, the grandson of former Italian prime minister Alcide De Gasperi presented to Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni an ancient vessel that had been given as a gift to his grandfather by the Greek government in 1953.
The excellently preserved 5th-century B.C. krater – a type of two-handed vessel used for mixing wine – had been given as a gift to the Italian prime minister by the Greek prime minister Alexandros Papagos during a visit to Greece as a sign of friendship, following Italy’s decision to return the Dodecanese islands to Greece.
Mendoni thanked Paolo Catti De Gasperi, a descendant of the Italian prime minister, and presented him with a precise replica of the goddess Artemis as depicted on the Parthenon frieze in the Acropolis Museum. She also thanked the Greek ambassador in Rome Eleni Sourani and her associates for their efforts.
The culture minister will also be participating in a G7 ministerial meeting on culture, being held in Naples on September 19-21, in which Greece, Brazil and India have been invited to participate.
In a statement to the ANA-MPA regarding the return of the valuable ancient artifact to Greece, Mendoni said:
“I must point out, initially, that it is not an ordinary repatriation. We generally repatriate cultural goods that in one way or another have been illegally exported from our country. There are always, of course, sensitised people in the world who now voluntarily return cultural goods, antiquities, to Greece and to Italy. Our two countries have cooperated closely and have achieved significant returns. This, however, is a different case. Mr De Gasperi, the grandson of the Italian prime minister, is returning a classical krater to Greece. It is a 5th century vessel that has not suffered the slightest damage. He believes that in spite of the fact that it is a family heirloom (it was given as a gift from the prime minister and general Alexandros Papagos to the Italian Prime Minister De Gasperi) all these treasures should return to the land where they were born, which created them.
Consequently, it is an action that is more than symbolic. It shows the culture and education of a person who considers, truly, that culture not only unites but who recognises the huge significance that every cultural good should be found in the context to which it belongs.”
The minister also expressed her great satisfaction at the invitation to Greece to participate in the G7 meeting, saying it was a great honour extended by the Italian presidency that honoured Greece for its huge contribution to the western world.
“Culture unites. Despite being a deeply political concept…it does not cease to act as a bridge for the peaceful coexistence of peoples. Through dialogue on matters of culture, peoples succeed in living better. With reconciliation, with faith in what the western, Grecoroman and Greek culture stand for: peace, democracy and solidarity,” she added.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
