Three Renowned Paintings Stolen from Italian Museum
Thieves stole three renowned paintings worth millions of euros from a private museum near Parma in northern Italy over the weekend, police confirmed, marking the latest in a string of high-profile art heists across Europe.
The burglary occurred at the Magnani Rocca Foundation in Mamiano di Traversetolo, about 20 kilometers from Parma, during the night of March 22-23. Four masked men forced open an entrance door to access a first-floor room, grabbed the artworks and fled across the museum's gardens in under three minutes, according to investigators. An alarm system triggered during the operation, prompting a swift response from security and police, though the thieves escaped before authorities arrived.
The stolen pieces include "Fish," a 1917 oil painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir; "Still Life with Cherries," a 1890 work by Paul Cézanne; and "Odalisque on the Terrace," a 1922 canvas by Henri Matisse. All three belonged to the museum's permanent collection, displayed in a gallery dedicated to French art. Experts estimate their combined value in the millions of euros, though precise figures remain undisclosed pending further assessment.
Police from the Carabinieri's Cultural Heritage...