Gardone Riviera: A year ago, the theft at the Vittoriale degli Italiani—what happened to the stolen gold? In March 2024, 48 artistic jewels by sculptor Umberto Mastroianni were stolen in a daring heist carried out during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. The president of the Vittoriale degli Italiani Foundation, Giordano Guerri, stated that a year after the incident, there are still no updates on the case. The thieves, having evaded the alarms and chosen the right dressing room, drilled a hole in the wall to access the exhibition area of “D’Annunzio Segreto,” making off with valuable works intended for the exhibition “Like Warm, Fluid Gold.”
The stolen items included rings, bracelets, and pendants made of gold, all products of Mastroianni’s creativity from the 1950s. Only one of the pieces was recovered during the initial inspections by law enforcement. The estimated economic damage exceeds one million euros, and investigations conducted by the Carabinieri of Gardone Riviera and the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Monza have yet to yield results. According to Guerri, the theft appears to have been specifically targeted at Mastroianni’s jewels, as other valuables nearby were left untouched, suggesting the professionalism of the perpetrators.
