I set off across town to find the chapel of the nuns in the Piazza Farnesi. Frequently losing my way and going up to grumpy carabinieri: “Scusi, dove e Piazza Farnese per favore?”

Eventually as I rounded the corner of the Piazza I saw the nuns locking the gate after early morning mass. No matter. I found a Mass in Santa Maria dei Maddalena in Roma. It has extraordinary soaring baroque ceilings and a beautiful Madonna della Salute.

These churches are amazing. The day before I turned a corner and went in by chance to S. Luigi dei Francesi and found the most extraordinary Caravaggio. What an amazing life, what extraordinary genius, and then to throw it all away as a hated fugitive from justice.

In a dimly lit side chapel is a plaque on which were written in French these quite nice words about a former French Ambassador to the Holy See.

“His love of the Church was only exceeded by his love of his country.”

A nice epitaph.