For centuries, Da Vinci’s 16th-century masterpiece has eluded viewers.
Who was she really? And above all – where is the bridge in the background?
Now a historian claims to have the answer.
The landscape in the background of the painting of the Mona Lisa has for centuries been a source of debate, not least in Italy.
It has long been believed that the small village of Ponte Buriano in Tuscany is depicted behind her. The villagers are even so convinced that they have made it part of their tourism campaign.
But now the historian Silvano Vinceti says that is not true. Instead, he believes that it is the neighboring village of Laterina that can be seen behind the Mona Lisa, he states CNN.
– The unique shape of Arno [floden] along that stretch corresponds to what Leonardo portrayed in the landscape, Vinceti said at a news conference at the Foreign Press Association in Rome.
“Fantastic news”
Silvano Vinceti’s reasoning is backed up by the fact that Da Vinci lived near Laterina between 1501 and 1503 – about the exact time the “Mona Lisa” is believed to have been painted.
What speaks against his discovery is that the number of arches in the bridge does not match the number in the painting.
Although it is not fully established, Laterina’s mayor Simona Neri is said to have been overjoyed when she heard about the discovery.
– We really hope that this fantastic news will fascinate both local and foreign tourists, she said.