In a special ceremony, which took place at our embassy in Rome, the grandson of the Italian former prime minister Alcide De Gasperi handed over to the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, an ancient vase that had been donated to his grandfather by the Greek government in 1953.

In particular, it is about 5th century BC crater, preserved in excellent condition, which had been donated by Prime Minister Alexandros Papago, to his Italian counterpart Alcinde De Gasperi, during his visit to Greece, as a sign of friendship, after Italy’s decision to return the Dodecanese to Greece.

Mrs. Mendoni thanked Paolo Catti De Gasperi, a descendant of the Italian Christian Democrat Prime Minister, and presented him with an exact copy of the Goddess Artemis, from the Parthenon’s bust, which is in the Acropolis Museum. At the same time, he also thanked our ambassador in Rome, Eleni Sourani and her colleagues, for the efforts that led to this very important handover ceremony.

G7 Culture

Today and tomorrow, at the same time, the Minister of Culture is participating in the “G7 of Culture” conference, which is taking place in Naples. In addition to the countries of the G7 group, Greece, Brazil and India have been invited to participate in the meeting.

In her statement to APE-MPE, Mrs. Mendoni, referring to the return of the precious ancient crater to our country, underlined:

“I must say, first of all, that this is not an ordinary repatriation. We usually repatriate cultural goods which – in the alpha or beta way – have been illegally exported from our country. In the world there are always, of course, sensitized citizens who now voluntarily return cultural goods, antiquities, to Greece, as well as to Italy. Our two countries have cooperated a lot and have achieved important repatriations. Here, however, the case is different. Mr. De Gasperi, grandson of the Italian Prime Minister, returns to Greece a classic crater. It is a vase of the 5th century, in which there is not the slightest wear. Believing that despite the fact that it is a family heirloom (it was given as a gift by the Prime Minister and General Alexander Papago to the Italian Prime Minister De Gasperi) all these treasures must return to the land that gave birth to them, that created them. So this is more than a symbolic move. It shows the education, the culture of a person who truly believes that culture not only unites, but who recognizes the enormous importance of each cultural asset being in the context to which it belongs.”

In response to APE-MPE’s question about her participation in the meeting “G7 of Culture”, which is held in Naples, and about the special importance of the invitation addressed to our country, Lina Mendoni replied:

“I couldn’t be more satisfied. It is a special honor, which is done by the Italian presidency and by the “G7″ group in our country. Greece is honored and honored, precisely, for its enormous contribution to the Western world.”

“Culture unites. Despite the fact that it is a deeply political concept – each one, depending on his attitude and ideology, can also give the relevant nuance – it does not cease to function as a bridge for the peaceful coexistence of peoples. Through the dialogue on cultural issues, peoples succeed in living better. With reconciliation, with faith in what Western, Greco-Roman and Greek civilization stands for: peace, democracy, solidarity”, concluded Ms. Mendoni.