02/01/2002

The total value of artworks owned by Italian private citizens appears to amount to $ 55.6 billion (€ 61.9 billion). The figure was estimated on the base of the insurance policies taken out during the year 2000 by more than 15,000 collectors and companies. Almost 70% of the Italian art collections are to be found in the central part of Northern Italy and they are increasingly being opened to the public for viewing. (Annalisa Rossi)