An ancient fresco is among 60 treasures the U.S. is returning to Italy

A Pompeiian style fresco from Herculaneum titled "Young Hercules and the snake", dated to the I second A.C., is seen on display among other archaeological artifacts stolen from Italy and sold in the U.S. by international art traffickers, during a press conference in Rome, Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. (Andrew Medichini/AP)

ROME — A fresco depicting Hercules and originally from Herculaneum, a city destroyed along with Pompeii by the 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius, was back in Italy Monday, along with 59 other ancient pieces illegally trafficked to the United States.

Last summer, U.S. authorities announced that the fresco and dozens of other trafficked objects, which ended up in private collections in the United States, would go back to Italy.