DRAMATIC footage shows the moment an Italian politician stumbled head-first through a priceless 93-year-old stained glass window.
Regional councillor Emanuele Cani lost his footing on Friday while at the Piacentini Vaccaro Palace, a landmark government building in Rome.
Security footage shows the startling moment he trips and falls down the staircase of honour, before crashing into the monumental stained glass window, leaving the prized piece of art shattered.
The councillor for industry – who represents Sardinia – fell head-first through La Carta del Lavoro, a glass masterpiece created in 1932 by renowned and wartime artist Mario Sironi at around 3pm.
Witnesses said ministry staff immediately rushed to help Cani, before emergency responders treated him on site.
He only suffered minor bruises.
The politician later expressed deep regret for damaging the historic piece, assuring the public that he was otherwise fine.
The shattered panels belong to one of the most celebrated examples of 20th-century Italian art, stretching across the full wall of the ministry’s main staircase.
Romana Sironi, granddaughter of the artist and custodian of his archive, expressed sorrow over the damage but also wished Cani a swift recovery.
She urged that restoration work begin quickly to safeguard her grandfather’s legacy.
The Piacentini Vaccaro Palace itself is symbolic of Italy’s political and cultural history.
Built between 1928 and 1932 by architects Marcello Piacentini and Giuseppe Vaccaro, it originally housed the Ministry of Corporations.
Over the decades, it has served multiple state institutions, including the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Economic Development.
Since 2022, it has been home to the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy.
In 1932, Corporations Minister Giuseppe Bottai asked artist Mario Sironi to create La Carta del Lavoro.
The stained glass window was designed to celebrate the 1927 labour reform, a cornerstone of Italy’s Fascist era.
Covering around 75 square feet, the incredible work was dedicated to arts and crafts.
The window underwent a major restoration in 2014, funded by Acea and timed with a large retrospective at the Complesso del Vittoriano.
Specialists employed advanced techniques from sponging and resin infiltration to silicate-based coatings to revive the original colours and strengthen fragile surfaces.
