Ermes Antonucci wrote that Vittorio Sgarbi, hospitalized at Gemelli since Wednesday, had been consumed by depression and had progressively distanced himself from public life. The author linked Sgarbi's decline to years of what he described as a daily media campaign, arguing that the illness could not be traced back to a single cause. According to Antonucci, the campaign began on October 24, 2023, with an article in the Fatto Quotidiano about the fees received by Sgarbi for events and exhibitions, reported to be 300,000 euros in nine months. The following day, he wrote, the newspaper reported on an investigation in Rome and an alleged tax debt of 715,000 euros related to the purchase of a work by Zecchin. On December 15, 2023, the Fatto and Report published an investigation into the painting by Rutilio Manetti "The Capture of Saint Peter", claiming it had been stolen and altered to hide its provenance. Antonucci stated that in 95 days, the Fatto published 82 articles about Sgarbi and that Report dedicated four reports to the matter. He also wrote that the prosecutor's office in Macerata launched an investigation for self-laundering of cultural assets and that Sgarbi resigned as undersecretary for Culture on February 2, 2024. According to the author, Sgarbi was later acquitted of the charges related to the painting by Zecchin, the artwork by Manetti, and the services rendered as undersecretary. Antonucci argued that, while the legal issues were concluding, the media coverage had contributed to the worsening of the man's condition. (translated)
