Issued on: 05/02/2026 - 13:52

Curious onlookers eager to glimpse the now-famous angel said to resemble Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni were left disappointed after the figure’s face on a painting in central Rome was swiftly covered on Wednesday. The Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina had drawn crowds of locals and tourists after Italian media splashed an image of the Meloni-like angel across front pages, prompting the culture ministry and the Diocese of Rome to open an investigation, as Eliza Herbert reports.

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