Ancient Greek vase gifted to an Italian leader is returned by his family to Greece

A valuable ancient vase gifted more than 70 years ago by the Greek government to an Italian prime minister has been voluntarily returned to Greece by the former statesman's grandson.

The Greek culture ministry on Friday praised the "most courteous gesture" by Paolo Catti De Gasperi, whose grandfather Alcide De Gasperi headed Italian governments from 1945 to 1953.

A ministry statement said the mid-to-late 5th Century BC artifact had been presented to De Gasperi by his Greek counterpart, Alexandros Papagos, during a state visit to Athens in 1953. It said Papagos wanted to convey gratitude for De Gasperi's "decisive contribution" in ceding the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea to Greece - one of a number of territories a defeated Italy was forced to relinquish after World War II.

The large, ornate terracotta artifact is decorated with red figures on a black...