Priceless trove of 600 Roman statues lay hidden in basement for 40 years

Umberto Bacchi. "Priceless trove of 600 Roman statues lay hidden in basement for 40 years" Intermnational Business Times  March 30, 2017.

 A legendary collection of ancient marbles that has been locked away from public sight is to go on display for the first time in decades. The Torlonia collection, which comprises 620 statues and sculptures, has been described as the world's most important private collection of classical art – but almost no one has been able to admire it since it was buried in the basement of the namesake aristocratic family in Rome in the 1970s. The Italian government has now announced that decades of negotiations with the Torlonia family were brought to a successful ending and an agreement to unveil the works has been reached.[...] The family has long resisted government attempts to return the artworks to the public.

The attempts of the Italian fascist government to get their hands on these privately-owned artworks are nothing short of scandalous. The collection of marbles, bronzes and alabasters was put together in the 19th century by Giovanni Torlonia, a skilful financier. The masterpieces were exhibited in the family's private museum in Rome up to 1976, and the collection has since remained sealed inside the basement of a house in the Italian capital.