Alberto Samonà

  • The day when the Parthenon Marbles will be reunited in Athens, is approaching, states Alberto Samona

    The Italian news agency Ansa reported on the increased efforts being made to reunite the Parthenon Marbles housed in the British Museum with those exhibited in the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

    “The international debate on the return of the marbles to Greece was reignited, in part thanks to Italy, particularly Sicily, which paved the way in 2022,” Ansa noted. The news agency referenced the pivotal decision three years ago taken by Alberto Samonà, the then cultural heritage adviser for the Sicilian regional government, to return the “Fagan Fragment.” This marble fragment, part of the eastern frieze of the Parthenon, had been housed at the Salinas Museum in Palermo as part of the archaeological collection of British consul Robert Fagan. Samonà’s initiative ensured the permanent return of this fragment’s rightful place at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
     

    Dialogue with Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni and collaboration between the Acropolis Museum Director Nikolaos Stampolidis and the then-director of the Salinas Museum, Caterina Greco resulted in the Fagan fragment being reunited in perpetuity in the Acropolis Museum. The fragment had been sent to Athens for the opening of the Acropolis Museum in 2009.

    Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed gratitude to Italy and Sicily for this gesture. One year later, the Vatican followed suit, with Pope Francis donating three additional Parthenon fragments from the Vatican Museums to Greece.

    In a statement, Alberto Samonà commented on the latest developments:

    “The day when the Parthenon Sculptures will finally return to Athens is approaching. I can proudly say that, thanks to our initiative, the international conversation about returning the sculptures, which were removed from Athens, gained new momentum. In a world filled with conflict and division, the path forward is precisely one of international cooperation and partnership in the name of culture, which has always carried a message of dialogue and peace.”

    In 2023, the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou awarded Alberto Samonà Commander of the Republic in the Order of the Phoenix (Greece): an honour conferred to him for having contributed to developing ties between Italy and Greece. 

    Photo posted by Alberto Samonà on his instagram feed.

     
© 2022 British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles. All Rights Reserved.