Angus spoke quickly. ‘We are the friends of this unfortunate lady,’ he said.

The security men let them approach. One of them was crouching down beside Antonia, trying to reassure her.

‘Antonia,’ said Angus. ‘Antonia, what’s wrong?’

‘Che bellezza,’ muttered Antonia, looking at Angus without any real sign of recognition. ‘Che bellezza insopportabile!’

The man who had come from the other end of the gallery now spoke into a hand-held radio before turning to address Angus. ‘This lady is not at all well,’ he said in perfect English. ‘I regret that she may be suffering from Stendhal Syndrome. It is quite common, and so I have ordered a stretcher. We shall take her to the psychiatric clinic at Santa Maria Nuova. They are very experienced.’

Angus turned to Domenica. ‘Stendhal Syndrome,’ he said. ‘We should have seen it coming. My goodness, we were blind.’

Domenica looked puzzled. ‘Stendhal Syndrome?’

‘It’s a form of hysterical reaction that afflicts some people when they come face to face with great art,’ said Angus. ‘Stendhal suffered from it when he came to Italy. It’s rather like Jerusalem Syndrome, which affects people who go there and get carried away by religious ecstasy.’

The stretcher-bearers now arrived, and quickly rolled Antonia onto their stretcher. Then they carried her away at a fast trot.

‘There will be an ambulance at the side door,’ said the official. ‘I do regret this somewhat inauspicious start to your visit to the Uffizi. Please accept our sympathy. I assume that you will wish to call at the ospedale psichiatrico where your poor friend is being taken.’

He gave them the address, which Angus wrote down on the back of his guide to the Uffizi.

‘Most unfortunate,’ said Angus, as they made their way out of the gallery. ‘I wish I’d put two and two together earlier.’

‘You mustn’t reproach yourself,’ said Domenica. ‘How were you to know? One doesn’t expect an Edinburgh person to behave in quite so Mediterranean a fashion.’

Angus shook his head. ‘You’ve got it quite wrong, Domenica. The whole point about Stendhal Syndrome is that it affects people from the north. We are the ones who come here and are overcome by the beauty. No Italian would think twice about it.’

‘Well, it’s still very regrettable,’ said Domenica. ‘Poor Antonia. It can hardly be very pleasant to go on holiday and be put away in a psychiatric hospital – even if one deserves it, and even if it’s the best place for one to be.’ She paused. ‘Should we go and buy her some fruit? Or is it tactless to give fruit in such circumstances?’

‘I’m sure that it would be appreciated,’ said Angus. And then he said, ‘I wonder how long she’ll be in.’

‘Several weeks, I should imagine,’ said Domenica. ‘Which leaves just you and me at the villa, Angus.’

80. Antonia’s Condition Explained