During his term as an attaché at the Italian Embassy, I met Bartolomeo Cuccia, who has lived in Egypt now for the last 10 years.  We became good friends. Rita, his wonderful wife, lives most of the time in Italy because her daughter Martha has to be in school in Rome, but she comes often to visit her husband here in Egypt. Their eldest daughter Erika married a nice young Egyptian man named Julio, who lives downtown and works for the Italian Consulate.  

 This is a sad day for all of us who love Egypt. No one can believe that the Egyptian Scientific Institute has been destroyed. 

I am sorry that I have not updated my website for the past several weeks. I have had to spend a great deal of my time dealing with false accusations that have been made against me. I am now waiting for the Office of the Attorney General to finish their investigation; after this I will be free to publish the details of these ridiculous allegations.

I am so happy to be able to announce that there has just been an important victory in the fight against the buying and selling of stolen antiquities. Recently, the United States Department of Homeland Security has arrested three suspects in New York City – these people were allegedly part of an international organization that smuggled more than $2.5 million worth of artifacts from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Egypt, over the last eight years. I am proud that the Supreme Council of Antiquities (now the MSA) was able to play a role in the success of this investigation.

A committee, formed by the Ministry of State for Antiquities (MSA), has confirmed that the artifacts seized this week are those stolen from the museum magazine of eastern Qantara during the lawlessness on 28^th January 2011.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Minister of State for Antiquities, announced high visitor levels to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo today. Dr. Hawass made it clear that visitor numbers have been increasing day by day in comparison to previous months.

I was deeply honored to receive the prestigious “Order of the Sun” award from the people of Peru. It truly was a memorable occasion and one I shall always treasure.

I am currently attending the Second Conference on International Cooperation for the Protection and Repatriation of Cultural Heritage in the beautiful city of Lima, Peru.

 You can watch the opening ceremony of the conference in Peru online