Renaissance masterpieces stolen from Sicilian museum

Four of the most important works of art by the 15th-century Renaissance master Antonello da Messina were stolen during a national holiday from a museum in the Sicilian port city of Messina, the Guardian reported on Sunday. The theft was described by officials as a wound to the historical memory and cultural identity of the city.

The works were taken overnight without alarms being triggered, according to the BBC, which reported that the circumstances raised immediate suspicion of a professional hit. The museum's security systems apparently failed to detect the intruders, a detail that will sharpen questions about the protection of Italy's vast and dispersed artistic heritage.