La restituzione volontaria dei beni culturali nella pratica italiana: una vicenda di antica memoria che riemerge come prassi virtuosa nel complesso scenario del mercato internazionale dei beni culturali

The “virtuous” phenomenon of the voluntary restitution of cultural goods stolen or illicitly exported from the countries of origin, is increasingly establishing itself as a practice involving states and private individuals. This is often the case with owners of cultural objects, whose title might prove to be illicit, that decide to prevent lawsuits and meet requests for return promoted by the countries of origin. Starting from the Italian experience, in the context characterized by the two contrasting tendencies of cultural nationalism and cultural internationalism, we will see how the complex phenomenon of the circulation and restitution of cultural goods presents itself today in light of the efforts made by the international community to stem and combat illicit trafficking of cultural goods.