Pier Luigi Cimma, Stolen Manuscript, Florida 1990

TAMPA, Fla. – In a shocking case of cultural theft, Pier Luigi Cimma and his wife Franca Gatto, two professors who participated in the 1990 inventory of the Capitular Archive of the Archdiocese in Turin, Italy, were behind the theft of the 15th century manuscript known as the San Lorenzo.

The Missal of Ludovico da Romagnano, a rare and valuable religious document, was stolen nearly 25 years ago from the Capitular Archive of the Archdiocese in Turin, Italy. The manuscript, a 15th century Italian missal, was not only a religious document but also a common form of art in the Middle Ages.

Italian authorities conducted an investigation that resulted in the arrest of Cimma and Gatto. These individuals confessed to the authorities that they had stolen several items, most of which they sold to a bookseller in Turin, Italy. The Monza Nucleo dei Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale in Italy, a specialized police unit for cultural property, recovered some of the stolen items from Sotheby’s in London.

In April 2011, an officer from the Carabinieri unit discovered a newspaper article from January 2006 online. That article detailed information on an upcoming exhibition at the Florida International Museum called ‘Ink and Blood.’ The exhibit detailed the development of the Bible. The article touched on an illuminated manuscript promised to the Special Collections Department at the University of South Florida Library.

The Carabinieri called Professor Constanza Montel Segre as an expert witness in June 2011 to confirm the manuscript featured in this newspaper article was the one stolen from the archives. She confirmed with certainty that the 15th century manuscript was the San Lorenzo, page 212 from the Missal of Ludovico da Romagnano.

In March 2012, HSI Tampa received a mutual legal assistance treaty request from the Italian government for assistance in, among other things, recovering the manuscript. With assistance of the University of South Florida, HSI special agents located the manuscript at a residence in St. Petersburg. The individuals in possession of the manuscript were unaware it had been stolen and exported from Italy in violation of Italian law.

The manuscript was repatriated to the Italian government Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. A ceremony was held to mark the return of the manuscript to its rightful owners. A. Lee Bentley III, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa, and Adolfo Barattolo, the consul general for the Italian Consulate in Miami, participated in the repatriation ceremony.

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