Italian historian solves Mona Lisa mystery

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” is one of the most famous and iconic paintings in the world. Located in the Louvre in Paris, the painting is considered a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance and has been the subject of countless studies, analyses, and speculations. Despite all the attention it has received, the painting remains shrouded in mystery, with numerous unresolved questions surrounding it. Recently, Italian historian Silvano Vinceti has claimed to have identified the actual bridge depicted in the painting’s background, shedding new light on this enigmatic artwork.

The bridge in the background of the painting has long been the subject of debate among art historians. While many have suggested that it may be the Ponte Buriano in Arezzo or the Ponte Bobbio in Piacenza, Vinceti claims to have identified it as the Romito di Laterina bridge in Tuscany. Using drone images, historical documents, and comparisons between the painting and photographs of the region, Vinceti believes that the bridge in the painting is unequivocally the “Etruscan-Roman bridge, Romito,” at Laterina.

According to Vinceti, the number of arches on the bridge was the key factor in identifying it. The Romito, like the bridge in the “Mona Lisa’s” background, had four arches, while the Ponte Buriano had six arches and the Ponte Bobbio had more than six. Vinceti used documents from the Medici family archives in Florence to corroborate his theory. These documents showed that there was a “very busy, functioning bridge” in the region between 1501 and 1503, which corresponds to the time when da Vinci was in the Val d’Arno area.

Although only one arch and the foundations of the bridge on one side of the Arno River remain of the Romito, Vinceti measured the width between the riverbanks and the size of the arch to confirm that four arches would stretch across the Arno. This convinced Vinceti that the Romito is the bridge depicted in the painting. Vinceti also noted that the distinctive form of the Arno River along that stretch of territory corresponds to what Leonardo portrayed in the landscape to the left of the woman depicted in the famous painting.

The reaction to Vinceti’s claim in Laterina has been enthusiastic, with the local government planning to protect what remains of the bridge and create a bicycle path along the river near its location. The claim has also caused some friendly rivalry between Laterina and Buriano, with the people of Buriano putting up a poster of the “Mona Lisa” next to the signpost for the bridge. The mayor of Laterina, Simona Neri, quipped that her town would need to put up a poster, too.

However, some art historians caution that da Vinci’s inspiration for the bridge was likely “a motif, a mere representation of the countryside, one that may have been hanging in da Vinci’s studio,” rather than a specific location. Therefore, while Vinceti’s claim may be exciting, it may not definitively solve the mystery of the bridge in the “Mona Lisa.” Nonetheless, it adds another fascinating layer to the ongoing story of this iconic work of art.