
RITHMS Documentary "Threads of Heritage" Summer Screenings
This July, Threads of Heritage – Down the Rabbit Hole of Art Crime returns to the big screen with two special summer screenings in Rome and Genoa.
Directed by Brian Parodi and produced by the Centre for Cultural Heritage Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) in collaboration with No Panic Agency, the documentary explores the hidden networks behind the illicit trafficking of cultural heritage — from illegal excavations to private collections and the black market — while highlighting how new technologies are used to protect and recover cultural treasures.
The first screening, by invitation only, will take place on 11 July 2025 at the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia in Rome. The evening will open with a panel discussion featuring experts, institutional representatives, and law enforcement officers working to combat art crime. After the film, guests will be offered special guided tours focused on recovered artifacts that reveal the concrete value of preservation efforts.
The second screening, free and open to the public, will be held in Genoa on Monday, 14 July at 9:00 PM in the Cortile Maggiore of Palazzo Ducale, as part of the Circuito Cinema Genova summer programme. The screening will be introduced by a conversation between Arianna Traviglia, Director of the Centre for Cultural Heritage Technology – IIT, and Giacomo Montanari, Genoa’s Councillor for Culture, moderated by art critic and journalist Linda Kaiser.
Threads of Heritage invites viewers to look beyond museum walls and discover the stories, risks, and recoveries that shape the fight to protect our shared cultural heritage.
For more information about the documentary: Click here

RITHMS at the Security Research Event 2025 in Warsaw
On 24–25 June 2025, the RITHMS Project was showcased at the Security Research Event (SRE) 2025, hosted in Warsaw, by the Coordinator’s team from the Centre for Cultural Heritage Technology (CCHT – Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) with the support of the European Software Institute (ESI).
Throughout the two-day conference the project team engaged with researchers, policy-makers, and operational practitioners from across Europe, providing live, case-based demonstrations of the RITHMS platform and discussing its potential to counter the illicit trafficking of cultural goods. These interactive sessions enabled participants to evaluate the platform’s functionalities directly against operational needs and to offer valuable feedback for future development.
The programme also featured a public screening of the documentary “Threads of Heritage. Down the Rabbit Hole of Art Crime,” produced within the framework of RITHMS. The film attracted considerable interest among attendees and stimulated a wider conversation on the strategic importance of protecting cultural heritage within the European security agenda.
The RITHMS Consortium extends its appreciation to the event organisers and to all participants for their active engagement and insightful contributions.

RITHMS at Europol – Core Group on Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Goods
From 10 to 12 June 2025, the RITHMS Project, represented by the Centre for Cultural Heritage Technology (CCHT – Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) and the European Software Institute (ESI), took part in the meeting of the EUROPOL Core Group on Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Goods, held in The Hague.
Over the course of the three-day event, the team delivered four detailed demonstrations of the RITHMS platform to law enforcement officers from across Europe, including representatives of project partners Arma dei Carabinieri TPC, Politie Nederland, and the Spanish National Police, as well as EUROPOL’s technical staff.
The meeting provided a valuable opportunity to showcase the platform’s functionalities in an operational context and to collect constructive, hands-on feedback from end users. The insights gathered will directly support the ongoing development of the platform, ensuring its alignment with the needs and priorities of those combating cultural heritage crime.
The RITHMS Consortium extends its sincere thanks to all participants for their interest, engagement, and expert contributions.

Introductory Training Workshop on the RITHMS Platform
On June 20, in the fascinating venue of Schloss Fürstenried (Munich), the RITHMS Project held the Introductory Training Workshop on the RITHMS Platform, dedicated to Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs).
The Consortium is glad and honoured for the participation of representatives from the:
◦ Bavarian State Criminal Police Office
◦ Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona
◦ Romanian Police
◦ Latvian State Police
◦ Italian Carabinieri
◦ Spanish Police
◦ Bosnia and Herzegovina Border Police
◦ Moldova National Police
A special thanks to our keynote speakers Mr. Klein from the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office and Mrs. Shlageder from the Bavaria Ministry of Science and Arts, and to our hosts Sandra Balbierz and Dr. Tobias Mattes from HföD for the logistical organisation, instrumental in the success of the event.
The workshop was designed to provide participants with a comprehensive introduction to the RITHMS platform’s features and functionalities, combining a theoretical overview with practical applications and operational scenarios demonstrated step by step.
This initiative represents a collaborative effort to equip LEAs with advanced tools to support them in addressing the complex challenge of illicit trafficking of cultural goods more effectively.
We look forward to further engaging with the European LEAs as the RITHMS project progresses to its final months.

Two Days of Hands-On RITHMS Training for Law Enforcement
On 7-8 April, partnering Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) participated in the first RITHMS training workshop, gaining their first hands-on experience with the newly developed RITHMS platform.
This training enabled LEA investigators and data analysts to explore how the platform's advanced tools can be used for accurate and effective intelligence gathering in cases of cultural heritage crimes.
The workshop covered:
- Theoretical insights on the epistemology of data.
- Practical introduction to the RITHMS platform: data collection, cleaning, correlation, knowledge graph database, and social network analysis (SNA) tools.
- Ethics & Security sessions: discussing potential challenges related to the platform deployment at LEA premises.
Participants were introduced to knowledge graph building, network analysis, and insights gathering into criminal networks, which will support their future investigations by generating new leads.
This marks an important step for the project in ensuring LEAs have the proper information to operate the innovative RITHMS tools effectively.

“Threads of Heritage” Premiere at Florence Archeofilm Festival
The documentary Threads of Heritage made a powerful impact at the Florence Archeofilm Festival, securing second place in audience rankings among more than 80 international films. Premiering at one of the world’s leading festivals dedicated to archaeological and cultural heritage cinema, the film sheds light on the shadowy networks of illicit antiquities trafficking.
Threads of Heritage offers a rare, in-depth look at the illegal trade in cultural artifacts, the destruction of archaeological sites, and the global fight to curb these crimes. With exclusive access to museum storerooms, forensic police investigations, and expert testimonies, the documentary exposes a thriving black market that persists despite international regulations.
The film’s strong reception in Florence underscores the growing public awareness of heritage protection and the crucial role of cultural institutions in stopping the circulation of stolen artifacts.
Find out more about the film here: https://rithms.eu/communication/events/threads-of-heritage-down-the-rabbit-hole-of-art-crime

RITHMS at the Conference on Computational Social Science (CS2Italy 2025)
The RITHMS project is disseminating interesting preliminary results.
This week, two members from the Coordinator's team of the Centre for Cultural Heritage Technology (CCHT Venice) delivered relevant presentations at the Conference on Computational Social Science (CS2Italy 2025), hosted by the Università di Trento.
Dr. Sara Ferro anticipated the main points of the forthcoming paper “Enriching Structured Data on Art and Antiquities through Natural Language Processing Models”.
Her presentation highlighted the potential of Natural Language Processing (NLP) models to transform unstructured data into structured, accessible knowledge in the art and antiquities field. This innovative approach supports social network analysis, offering valuable inputs into cultural goods trafficking.
Dr. Madison Leeson focused, instead, on the social network analysis (SNA) results showcased in the recent paper "War, Art, and Sanctions: Social Network Analysis on the NACP’s Databases of Sanctioned Russian Individuals and Art Collectors".
The study of the Russian elite network revealed the roles and relative influence of art collectors within the system. These findings contribute significantly to understanding social and economic dynamics.
Learn more about RITHMS outputs and publications on our page: https://rithms.eu/results

Beyond Restoration Event: Conservator-Restorers in the Fight Against Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property
The Beyond Restoration event, organized by the RITHMS_EU project, opened today in Brussels, highlighting the essential role of conservator-restorers in combating the trafficking of cultural property.
Through expert panels and workshops, the event fosters collaboration among heritage professionals, law enforcement, and cultural institutions, contributing to stronger policies for cultural heritage protection.
Morning Session: The Crucial Role of Conservator-Restorers
The first part of the day focused on the critical role that conservators and restorers play in the fight against the trafficking of cultural heritage. Experts discussed the unique challenges faced by these professionals, emphasizing the ethical and technical aspects of their work when dealing with damaged or recovered artifacts.
The discussion highlighted the need for collaboration between conservators, law enforcement, and cultural institutions to prevent illegal activities. It underscored the importance of maintaining professional standards, navigating legal and ethical dilemmas, and strengthening international cooperation to safeguard cultural heritage.
This session reaffirmed that conservators and restorers are not just caretakers of history but active participants in protecting cultural heritage from criminal activities.
Afternoon Session: The Role of Law Enforcement Agencies
During the Law Enforcement Agencies session, discussions shed light on the complex and dual role of conservators and restorers in the fight against trafficking of cultural heritage.
Conservators can inadvertently or knowingly become facilitators in the illegal trade of cultural goods. Misguided practices or insufficient awareness of trafficking dynamics may contribute to legitimizing stolen or forged artifacts. On the other hand, their expertise is crucial in combating this phenomenon. Conservators play a pivotal role in determining the authenticity and provenance of artworks and artifacts.
Conclusion: Strengthening Collaboration
The final session emphasized the need for enhanced collaboration between law enforcement and heritage professionals. To empower conservators and restorers, proposed measures included the development of training programs tailored to identifying red flags in trafficking, implementation of clear ethical guidelines, and building stronger networks among stakeholders to support investigations and enforcement efforts.
Ultimately, the involvement of conservators and restorers goes beyond preservation—they are vital allies in safeguarding our shared cultural heritage.

Full report on EMERITUS and RITHMS Joint webinar
On October 28, 2024, EMERITUS and RITHMS projects brought together experts in a collaborative webinar to address the growing threat of emerging crimes. Titled “Training Law Enforcement Authorities to Combat Emerging Crimes: Environmental and Cultural Heritage Offenses,” the online event underscored the increasing complexity of environmental crime and cultural heritage trafficking, which often span borders and require specialised knowledge and skills.
EMERITUS and RITHMS are two EU-funded projects with a common objective: addressing niche crimes—such as environmental, waste, and cultural heritage crimes—that require distinct expertise due to their complexity and the specific knowledge needed to detect, investigate, and prosecute offenders effectively.

RITHMS presents Beyond Restoration: an event on future policies and best practices
The Beyond Restoration event, organised by the EU- funded RITHMS project, aims to spotlight the critical role of conservator-restorers in this field. Held in Brussels, Belgium, on December 4th, this event will bring this critical issue to the forefront, exploring how restorers can sometimes unintentionally become entangled in illegal activities but, more importantly, how they can actively contribute to combatting these crimes.
Beyond Restoration will feature expert panel discussions, a hands-on workshop, and engaging dialogues to address the complex challenges restorers and conservators face in their work. The event will emphasise the need for a careful balance between preserving cultural artefacts and ensuring that these efforts do not inadvertently support the illegal trade in cultural heritage.

RITHMS begins filming a short film on art crime and illicit trafficking
Last week, RITHMS Team traveled to Rome to start filming a new documentary on the illicit trafficking of cultural heritage. This production brings together museums, institutions, and Law Enforcement to examine the impact of cultural crimes on a global scale. The documentary will review past efforts to combat illegal trafficking and explore how new technologies are shaping the future of cultural heritage protection.

RITHMS Takes the Stage at DG HOME's CERIS Annual Event on Research for Fighting Crime and Terrorism
On 24-25 September 2024, DG HOME organised the annual CERIS event dedicated to research for fighting crime and terrorism, uniting practitioners, policymakers, researchers, civil society representatives, and industry experts. The first day focused on online harms, exploring current trends, future technologies, and the implications of the AI Act on combating online crimes. The second day addressed the challenges faced by police authorities, NGOs/CSOs, and forensic institutes in participating in security research consortia, fostering discussions on best practices and enhancing collaboration at the European level.
Dr. Borislav Mavrov, Programme Director at the European Institute (EI) and one of the NGO partners in the RITHMS consortium, presented insights on the critical role of NGOs and Civil Society Organisations in security research projects. He emphasized their significant contributions to advancing security research and ensuring broader societal impact. Dr. Mavrov highlighted the importance of collaboration among civil society organizations, law enforcement agencies, and research bodies in creating inclusive, impactful, and transparent projects that build public trust and foster acceptance. “As the security landscape evolves, the role of NGOs will remain vital in shaping the future of research and policy, as demonstrated by projects like RITHMS, which integrate the expertise of NGOs to ensure that security research is both technically robust and socially responsible”, was on of the key messages shared by RITHMS’s representative.

RITHMS at EAA Annual Conference 2024 - Rome, Italy
RITHMS was prominently featured at the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) Annual Meeting in Rome.
From August 28th to 31st, RITHMS took center stage during the session "Tracing & Protecting: Facing the Shadows of Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Goods" dedicated to addressing the urgent and complex challenges posed by the illicit trade of cultural heritage.
This session, organized within the framework of the RITHMS and DECOPE Projects, highlighted the importance of cross-disciplinary alliances in combating cultural heritage crimes. A special highlight was the presentation by our contributors from CCHT — Michela De Bernardin, Riccardo Giovanelli and Arianna Traviglia — who showcased the potential and the first results of the RITHMS Digital Platform.
This innovative platform is designed to help Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) tackle the illegal trafficking of cultural goods. It’s a powerful tool that leverages Social Network Analysis (SNA) to map and analyze relationships between individuals and organizations involved in these crimes. The platform turns information into actionable intelligence by connecting the dots between data from social media, websites, and other sources. This helps track down stolen cultural treasures and prevent their illicit trade.
Some impressive early results include identifying 47 key open-source data sources and creating a database with 2 million entities. We’ve developed custom tools to scrape and analyze this data, building a comprehensive knowledge graph that maps out connections within the criminal world.
Find the RITHMS Poster: How Can Digital Technology Protect Our Cultural Heritage?

CCHT, leading the RITHMS project, receives the "Environment and Legality" Award
Last week, the Centre for Cultural Heritage Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - IIT), which coordinates the RITHMS project, was honored with the prestigious "Environment and Legality" award by the Italian national organization Legambiente.
This recognition is given to entities and organizations that stand out for their commitment to environmental protection and the promotion of legality, including efforts against criminal organizations involved in cultural goods trafficking.
One of the key reasons for this award was CCHT's involvement in developing support systems, including the use of artificial intelligence, to assist law enforcement agencies—work that has been a significant part of the RITHMS project. The contribution of the RITHMS project was also highlighted in Legambiente's report "Ecomafia 2024: The Stories and Numbers of Environmental Crime in Italy" which marks the 30th anniversary of its first publication. The report's data were presented in July in Rome in the presence of various authorities.
Arianna Traviglia, the project coordinator, accepted the award on behalf of CCHT, in the presence of Eugenio Giani, President of the Tuscany Region, and Stefano Ciafani, President of Legambiente.
Learn more about Legambiente's environmental crime report here (Italian version): Ecomafia 2024: The Stories and Numbers of Environmental Crime in Italy

RITHMS at ARCA's Annual Interdisciplinary Art Crime Conference
Amelia, Italy – RITHMS participated in the 13th edition of ARCA's Annual Interdisciplinary Art Crime Conference, hosted in the historic city of Amelia. Organized by the Association for Research into Crimes against Art (ARCA), this annual conference brings together experts, researchers, and professionals to explore challenges and innovative solutions in combating art and cultural crime. It serves as a pivotal platform for sharing knowledge and developing collaborative strategies to safeguard global cultural heritage.
During the conference, Michela De Bernardin from the Center for Cultural Heritage Technology delivered a presentation titled “Fighting Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Goods: RITHMS SNA-based Platform as an Innovative Tool to Dismantle Criminal Networks”. Her presentation provided an update on the development of the RITHMS project, focusing on completing the data collection phase and applying Social Network Analysis (SNA) to the gathered databases.
Michela De Bernardin explained how RITHMS utilizes SNA to analyze relational patterns and human behaviors, enabling the identification and dismantling of criminal networks involved in trafficking cultural goods. She presented several examples of SNA applications using data collected by the CCHT, demonstrating how this technology enhances investigators' capabilities to combat trafficking effectively.
The recently concluded data collection phase represents a significant milestone for RITHMS, consolidating a wealth of information from diverse sources. Preliminary results, currently in publication, underscore the potential of the RITHMS platform to provide detailed and operationally valuable insights into criminal networks.
Furthermore, by examining the mechanisms driving illicit cultural artifact trade and its connections to other criminal activities, alongside pioneering technological innovations, RITHMS charts a replicable strategy to confront these challenges. RITHMS not only deciphers the complexities of cultural goods trafficking but also offers a blueprint for a comprehensive and adaptable approach to address similar criminal phenomena.
The conference also featured participation from RITHMS Consortium Partners, including representatives from the Italian Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC), the Spanish Brigade for the Historical Heritage and the National Police of Netherlands.

RITHMS at the Final Event of the TRACE Project
Dr. Madison Suzanne Leeson from the Centre for Cultural Heritage Technology (IIT - Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) recently represented RITHMS at the final event of the TRACE project conference in Vienna on June 11-12.
The TRACE project, funded by H2020 EU, has been at the forefront of developing an innovative platform that consolidates data on logistics, communications, and financial transactions. TRACE has achieved significant advancements by leveraging AI for entity extraction and efficient data processing.
At the conference, key discussions revolved around anti-money laundering mechanisms, tools for countering the financing of terrorism, and updates to evidence admissibility rules in court—topics that resonate strongly with RITHMS' goals.
Dr. Leeson participated in the panel titled “Factors Affecting the Uptake of AI Tools in the LEA Community.” Tobias Mattes joined her from the Bavarian Police (RITHM Consortium Partner) and other esteemed panelists: Peeter Paisuots from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, and Thomas Havranek from CIN Consult Group.
Dr. Leeson shared insights from RITHMS, highlighting our efforts to integrate diverse data sources and ensure the practical utility of our mechanisms for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs).

RITHMS at Law & Society Conference 2024
Last Saturday, RITHMS participated in the Law and Society Conference 2024 (LSA) in Denver, Colorado.
Dr. Patricia Faraldo Cabana, from the University of A Coruña (RITHMS Consortium Partner), presented her paper: “Web Scraping as a Tool for Criminal Intelligence Tackling Organized Crime Against Cultural Heritage: Technical and Legal Challenges”
Abstract
Law enforcement agencies in the EU are using various tools to automatically retrieve data from social media and other open sources available on the Internet, often referred to as web scraping, when conducting investigations against organized forms of crime, including trafficking of cultural goods. Extracting knowledge from big amounts of data through web scraping is used to understand links between individuals within complex, rapidly evolving interactive criminal networks. IA-based tools using social network analysis can not only identify individuals who were not previously on the radar of LEAs, strategically hot-spotting people of interest, but they are also capable of revealing significant insights into the dynamics of criminal acts. However, the legal requisites of using them to collect data are not well known. Failure to pay attention to this aspect may result in the violation of fundamental rights and the unacceptability of the collected evidence in court. The primary contribution of this paper is to clarify the EU legal framework to enhance LEAs' capacity to successfully tackle crime without jeopardizing citizens' rights. At the same time, this paper contributes to scholarly discussions about the legal limits of web scraping and the organized nature of heritage crime.

RITHMS Conference in A Coruña
The RITHMS conference, focused on "Trafficking in Cultural Property: A Criminological Perspective" convened to address pressing issues surrounding illicit activities in the cultural sphere. Distinguished professionals and experts gathered to share insights and strategies to combat the trafficking of cultural goods.
Delving into the intricate realm of illicit cultural goods trafficking, the morning sessions were enriched by the expertise of Marc Balcells from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Esteemed panelists including Cristina Guisasola (Universitat de València), Francesca Fiorentini (Università degli Studi di Trieste), and José Ángel Brandariz (Universidade da Coruña) furthered our understanding of this multifaceted issue through engaging round table dialogues.
Kicking off the subsequent session, John Kerr from the University of Law illuminated best practices in heritage and cultural property policing, drawing from international police operations in France, Italy, the UK, and Brazil. This session was marked by a dynamic exchange featuring representatives from LEAs of the RITHMS Consortium, such as Richard Bronswijk (Politie, The Netherlands), Silvia Valencia Juez (Policía Nacional, Spain), Luca Migliaccio (Arma dei Carabinieri Comando Tutela Patrimonio Culturale, Italy) and Paula Mita (Romanian Police). Cameron Walter from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) concluded this session with invaluable closing remarks.
The afternoon session, inaugurated by Arianna Visconti (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), delved into the intricate nexus between illicit trafficking of cultural goods and organized crime. Key themes such as online cultural crimes, trafficking in the Mediterranean, and the role of the Nicosia Convention in criminal justice were explored during engaging round table discussions.
Special recognition is due to Sam Hardy (University of Oslo), Riccardo Ercole Omodei (Università degli studi di Palermo), Antonio Roma, and Oscar Alarcón-Jiménez (Council of Europe) for their significant contributions.
From enlightening keynotes to dynamic round table discussions, each session deepened our understanding and underscored the imperative for collaborative action. Special thanks to all our speakers for their invaluable contributions in safeguarding our global cultural heritage.

RITHMS at Treccani Accademia
Yesterday, RITHMS Project Coordinator, Centre for Cultural Heritage Technology, had the pleasure of leading a class focused on combating the illicit trafficking of cultural goods within the Master program of Art and Cultural Heritage Management at Treccani Accademia.
In collaboration with the Art Crime Project (ACP) and the The Journal of Cultural Heritage Crime, RITHMS affiliated partners, the session comprehensively explored the complexities of theft, clandestine excavations, and the online art market.
The insights shared by our speakers, Nadia Pedot, Daniela Rizzo, Michela De Bernardin, Riccardo Giovanelli, Serena Epifani, and Fabio Beltotto, have illuminated key aspects of these issues, from preserving antiquities in conflict zones to raising awareness about cultural crime, paving the way for informed action and advocacy.
In an exciting development, RITHMS has initiated a project work with Accademia's talented students. Together, we'll be crafting communication and dissemination materials to empower galleries, museums, and art professionals to join us in the fight against illicit trafficking.

RITHMS at CAA 2024
RITHMS Session at CAA2024!
Run today, within the 51th meeting of CAA taking place in Auckland (New Zealand), the session "Unveiling the Past, Safeguarding the Future: Pioneering Technologies in the Battle Against Illicit Archaeological Looting and Trafficking", fostered by RITHMS project.
During our session, we delved into technological applications developed to fight the urgent global issues of illicit trafficking and cultural heritage crime. Our roundtable discussions explored innovative approaches to combat and prevent the phenomenon.
The session was an inclusive platform, welcoming researchers and professionals from diverse backgrounds and embracing both traditional and computational methodologies.
Thank you to all who participated in shaping the future of cultural heritage protection!
