Many artists worked at the Trinità dei Monti convent, next to the church of the same name, opposite the iconic Piazza di Spagna’s 18th-century staircase. One of them was Charles-Louis Clérisseau (1721-1820), who decorated the cell for father Le Sueur – one of the convent’s erudite monks – with a run-down Pantheon meant to inspire meditation on the fleeting nature of worldly success.

The construction of the convent began in the late 14th century by will of king Charles VIII, son of Luis XI, who dedicated it to Saint Francis of Paola. It is a treasure chest of amazing artwork, featuring optical illusions and amusing visual perspectives. Andrea Pozzo frescoed the refectory with a theatrical “Wedding at Cana” that breaks through space and creates the effect of 3D depth.