Scandal in Rome: Restoration of ancient basilica results in fresco with Meloni’s face

Restoration work at one of Rome’s most famous basilicas has become the source of an unexpected scandal. After its completion, one of the restored angels began to resemble the current Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni.

The situation was reported by the ANSA agency, attracting the attention of the Italian press. After publication in the newspaper La Repubblica, the image of the restored fresco in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina sparked public discussion, as one of the angels does indeed bear features reminiscent of a current government official.

The rector of the Pantheon and the Basilica, Daniele Micheletti, admitted that a certain similarity exists, but refused to comment on it from an artistic point of view. He noted that only the restorer can explain the stylistic decisions.

The news caused surprise and concern in the Diocese of Rome. They noted that similar cases in the practice of restoring sacred art had not been observed until now.

Giorgia Malone, in turn, humorously commented on the situation, assuring that she did not consider herself to be an angel, and shared an image of a part of the fresco, which, according to the media, depicts a cherub with her features.

Restorer Bruno Valentinetti denied all accusations of deliberate personification, explaining that his work consisted of recreating the fresco’s original state, recorded 25 years ago, using the same sketches and colors. According to him, no new artistic interpretations were used.

However, the scandal quickly turned into a political debate. Representatives of the Democratic Party criticized the situation, emphasizing its unacceptability. The leader of the faction in the culture committee, Irene Manzi, called on the Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, to take urgent measures and contact the regulatory authorities.

She noted that even the mere assumption that an image associated with a contemporary political figure could appear during the restoration of a monument protected by the state constitutes serious violations of the Italian Cultural Heritage Code. Manzi stressed the need for any interventions to be based exclusively on scientific and historical-artistic criteria.

A similar position was expressed by deputies of the 5 Star Movement, calling on the Ministry of Culture to urgently conduct an inspection and identify those responsible for the restoration work if information about such violations is confirmed.

The opposition emphasizes that art and cultural heritage cannot serve as an instrument of political manipulation, regardless of the circumstances.