Stefano P., a 51-year-old from Cuneo, was sorting through his late uncle's estate when he spotted over two billion Italian lire in a safe. The discovered fortune is currently worth around €1.03 million, but the money has been hidden for years, stacked neatly, outside of circulation.
The Italian lira was withdrawn from circulation in 2001, and the transition period for exchange has long since expired. The conversion is now handled exclusively by Banca d'Italia, which has officially rejected the request. Old lire can no longer be simply taken to a bank for exchange.
Stefano has therefore turned to the association Associazione Italia and is considering legal action. His representatives are citing Article 2935 of the Civil Code, arguing that the statute of limitations cannot run while the heir was unaware of the money's existence. By this logic, his rights only begin to run from the opening of the safe.
Experts, however, state that his chances are slim. Similar cases have been emerging for twenty years, and the outcome is consistently the same: the money remains trapped in the old currency with no possibility of exchange.
One such example occurred in Messina, where the new owner found €135.4 million. The money was hidden in seven tins and stacked in 1,354 banknotes of 100,000 lire each.
