The Museum of the Treasure of San Gennaro in Naples, Italy, is using a new forensic mapping system to protect its valuable collection of jewels and artworks. This new method helps the museum keep track of every gem and object using high-tech photography and microscopic details, making it easier to identify each piece if it is ever stolen.
The treasure includes more than 21,000 items collected over 700 years, such as a golden mitre covered with about 4,000 gems and a necklace with over 1,500 precious stones. Experts say these two items alone could be worth around €100 million (about $116 million).
The mapping project is led by Ciro Paolillo, a gemology expert from Rome’s La Sapienza University. His team uses microscopes to record every small mark and internal feature of each gem. These details act like a “fingerprint,” helping to prove where the stones come from and to stop thieves from selling or changing them.
The museum also has strong physical security. Its displays have alarms, and guards are on duty around the clock. The Treasure of San Gennaro is owned by the people of Naples, not the church or the state, and has been carefully protected for centuries.
This project began after several high-profile art thefts in Europe, including one at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Experts say Naples’ approach could become a model for other museums. Paolillo said if the Louvre had used this mapping system, stolen gems there would have been much harder to sell.
In the past, the treasure faced threats from criminals. In 1975, the local mafia tried to steal it, and the collection had to be kept in a bank vault for nearly 30 years. Today, thanks to forensic mapping and community respect for Saint Gennaro, Naples’ people and technology are working together to keep their city’s treasure safe.
