The crates were discovered in a Swiss lock-up. Many of the items are thought to have been looted from archaeological sites.
Among the pieces discovered are two life-size Etruscan sarcophagi dating from the 2nd century BC. According to an Italian expert, these and other items came from excavations in former Etruscan territory, now northern Rome.
The Getty in Los Angeles and the Met in New York are among the museums to return antiquities they had acquired through Symes to Italy, due to fears they were obtained illegally.
Symes is thought to have stashed the cases during legal proceedings brought against him in the early 2000s.
