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Thieves,
fences, smugglers
The room devoted to theft, possession of stolen goods
and smuggling contains paintings, archaeological finds,
sacred objects, and sculptures, stolen or found by
chance and seized by the legal authorities. Objects
whose legitimate owners are unknown, or which have
not been claimed, or which, as in the case of the archaeological
finds were seized from so-called tombaroli (tomb-robbers)
or from unauthorized private individuals, have been
returned to the state and given to public museums.
Among the most curious objects are items confiscated
in the early twentieth century: a bicycle with a hollow
frame used by liquor smugglers, casks for the illegal
distillation of grappa, and containers with false bottoms
used to hide drugs.
