Two iconic statues stolen from Estói Palace in 2006 have been returned to the Algarve having been tracked down and recovered in Spain by police.
The life-size female figures were stolen during a period when the Baroque palace was closed to the public, and well before the venue became a fully-fledged Pousada.
The highly romantic marble figures were purchased in Italy about 110 years ago by the Viscount of Estói.
Residents of the picturesque town were aghast at the theft eight years ago as the statues has become symbolic, the gardens of the palace had been named after the two statues and countless wedding photographs had been taken with the statutes in the background.
In fact the gardens and palace then were owned by the council and were in a terrible state before agreement was reached and the renovation work began for the creation of a Pousada.
In 2006 the gardens and palace were as good as derelict and it was easy to imagine removing the statues from the gardens, but the weight of the marble was a huge practical obstacle even to dedicated thieves, nobody yet knows how they managed it.
Two terracotta busts and a bronze statue were stolen in 2005 but there still was no security in place so many objects of value were moved to Faro Museum where, according to a report today from Sul Informaçao, the returned statues are being held for assessment and detailed renovation before their welcome return home to Estói.
