As Sicilians Flocked to a Religious Festival, Thieves Broke Into a Nearby Museum and Stole Four Renaissance Paintings
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Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Messina, in Italy’s Sicily region, this past weekend for the Procession of the Vara, an annual religious festival featuring floats and fanfare. As they celebrated, something sinister unfolded behind closed doors: a museum heist.
Reported by 3 outlets — Smithsonian, TIME, Al Jazeera. See all sources ↓
Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Messina, in Italy’s Sicily region, this past weekend for the Procession of the Vara, an annual religious festival featuring floats and fanfare. As they celebrated, something sinister unfolded behind closed doors: a museum heist. Using the large crowds as a distraction, an unknown number of thieves slipped into the Regional Museum of Messina without tripping any alarms. Once inside, they targeted Antonello da Messina’s Polyptych of San Gregorio, a 1473 altarpiece depicting the Virgin Mary and Jesus, flanked by saints on either side.
Read the full report at Smithsonian ↗
Why it matters
3 outlets are covering this world story — one to watch as reporting develops.
- What's the story?
- Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Messina, in Italy’s Sicily region, this past weekend for the Procession of the Vara, an annual religious festival featuring floats and fanfare. As they celebrated, something sinister unfolded behind closed doors: a museum heist.
- How widely is it covered?
- 3 outlets, average source rating 7.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 4m ago.
How outlets are framing the same story
Here's how each outlet is covering the story — compare their headlines and timing at a glance.
- Coverage card3 outlets1CoverageScouting report
As Sicilians Flocked to a Religious Festival, Thieves Broke Into a Nearby Museum and Stole Four Renaissance Paintings
Sources3TypeCoverageSmithsonian
TIME
Al Jazeera