A picture shows the Villa Farnesina museum where frescoes were discovered last year by an electrician during works, in Rome on November 12, 2024. Rosy-cheeked cherubs surrounded by blues, reds and golds have lost none of their brilliance in 17th-century frescoes discovered behind a false ceiling. The frescoes, by a little known artist, include the coat of arms of the noble family of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese who bought the villa in 1579. The three paintings were hidden above the vaulted ceiling of what was once the living room of Agostino Chigi, a wealthy banker and Renaissance patron who had the villa built at the start of the 16th century.
The visit was permitted courtesy by Accademia dei Lincei. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)