Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria

Stuck on a busy road junction, this modest and not particularly enticing church is an unlikely setting for one of the great works of European art – Bernini’s extravagant and sexually charged Santa Teresa traffita dall’amore di Dio (Ecstasy of St Teresa). In the last chapel on the left, this daring sculpture depicts Teresa, engulfed in the folds of a flowing cloak, floating in ecstasy on a cloud while a teasing angel pierces her repeatedly with a golden arrow. Watching the whole scene from two side balconies are a number of figures, including Cardinal Federico Cornaro, for whom the chapel was built. It’s a stunning work, bathed in soft natural light filtering through a concealed window. Go in the afternoon for the best effect.