Despite the security measures available to Reggia di Venaria, the perpetrators of the theft managed to escape with loot estimated at 150,000 euros. 26 gold and enamel watches dating from the 18th century were stolen from a former royal palace of the House of Savoy, near Turin. An investigation was opened to determine the circumstances of the theft.
According to the first reconstructions of the Carabinieri of the territorial command and the heritage protection unit, at least three people entered the palace around 2 a.m., with their faces covered. Video surveillance images are being examined by investigators.
The first hypotheses suspect the action of professionals, familiar with the area. The thieves indeed managed to thwart the alarm and video surveillance devices, as well as the burglar-proof display case in which the watches were kept, in the Duke of Savoy’s audience chamber. The Consortium of the Royal Residences of Savoy, manager of the Reggia di Venaria and its gardens, confirmed the good working order of the security systems on the evening of the theft.
One of the watches stolen during the burglary of the Reggia di Venaria.
© Reggia di Venaria
The watches were offered to Reggia in 2012 by the heirs of Giorgio Accornero, an Italian collector. The donation also included 24 old snuff boxes, which were not stolen. Although the watches are insured, the damage exceeds the financial value. It represents the loss of historical objects of goldsmithing, of English and French manufacture, belonging to the public heritage.
The burglary occurs in a context where European museum collections appear increasingly vulnerable. This theft is the third perpetrated in Italy since the start of 2026. It follows the burglary of the paintings by Antonello of Messina, which occurred on August 15 in the middle of the Ascension festivities, as well as that, carried out in less than three minutes, of the modern paintings of the Magnani-Rocca Foundation, since found during searches in Parma.
