Italy recovers nearly 800 illegally gathered archaeological finds

Pieces worth 11m returned from a Belgian collector after an investigation that began in 2017

Italy has recovered hundreds of illegally gathered archeological finds from a Belgian collector dating as far back as the sixth century BC and worth 11m (9.4m), police have said.

The nearly 800 pieces of exceptional rarity and inestimable value", including stelae, amphorae and other items, came from clandestine excavations in Puglia in Italy's south-eastern tip, according to the carabinieri in charge of cultural heritage.