Italy: PM Giorgia Meloni Appears as Angel in Rome Church Mural

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has unexpectedly appeared—as an angel—in a restored fresco at Rome’s Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, according to La Repubblica. Following conservation work on the historic mural, a previously generic cherub now bears striking facial features resembling Meloni. The church’s priest acknowledged a resemblance but stressed that oversight during restoration should have been handled by the Archaeological Superintendency of Rome. Media reports indicate the intervention was not carried out by a professional conservator but by a lay sacristan named Bruno Valentineti—reportedly linked to past fresco projects commissioned by Silvio Berlusconi. As of now, Meloni has not commented. Italy’s center-left opposition, led by the Democratic Party, condemned the alteration as ‘unacceptable’ and called for immediate intervention by Culture Minister Alessandro Giulio and Rome’s Antiquities Authority.