Ivanka Trump, the former model and presidential adviser, mistook a picture of a revered Italian footballer for a saint during a recent night out in Rome.
The first daughter was dining with her husband, Jared Kushner, at Le Cave di Sant’Ignazio on Tuesday night when she spotted a picture of former Lazio star Giorgio Chinaglia – standing on a pitch, his arms stretched out to the heavens – and asked: “Which saint is that?”
The large photograph of Chinaglia was nestled between a crucifix and a picture of Padre Pio, a saint who is revered in Rome.
“We explained to her that it was not a saint but a great Lazio player,” Luigina Pantalone, one of the restaurant owners, told Ansa. The episode was confirmed by the Guardian.
“It was an honour to serve such a figure in our restaurant,” Pantalone added.
Any embarrassment did not last long. The couple’s party reportedly feasted on bruschette and cacio e pepe – a typical Roman pasta dish made with pecorino cheese – as well as ravioli, gnocchi and grilled shrimp.
Chinaglia died of a heart attack in 2012 at the age of 65. The Italian striker was loved not only in Italy but also in the US, where he played alongside Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer in the North American Soccer League.
Trump may have had God on her mind while in Rome. The next morning, she arrived at the Vatican for a meeting with Pope Francis.
