Overview
- On January 31, the Special Superintendency of Rome’s Daniela Porro tasked Culture Ministry technicians to inspect the fresco to assess the work performed.
- The image, in a chapel of the San Lorenzo in Lucina basilica in central Rome, depicts an angel holding a parchment bearing a map of Italy beside a marble bust of Umberto II.
- Volunteer restorer Bruno Valentinetti denies any intent to portray Giorgia Meloni and says he restored the painting to its original appearance.
- Giorgia Meloni reacted on Instagram with a joke, writing, “No, I really don’t look like an angel.”
- Center-left opposition figures urged Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli to intervene, and the basilica’s rector acknowledged there is a resemblance, with inspection results still pending.