An Italian scientist located the landscape in the background of the painting Mona Lisa – Earth – Science and Technology

Italian art historian Silvano Vinceti claims to have identified the landscape behind Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa as the town of Laterina in the province of Arezzo, south of Florence, Tuscany.

As noted by the DPA agency, this topic has been hotly debated among art historians for many years.

At Wednesday’s press conference in Rome, Vinceti informed that he reached his conclusion based on the examination of the stone bridge, which is depicted in the painting behind the left shoulder of Mona Lisa.

Based on historical documents and drone photos, the historian claims that it is the Romito di Laterina bridge, which is currently partially collapsed.

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DPA recalled that the place depicted by Leonardo da Vinci in the painting Mona Lisa has been a source of controversy in the art world for many years. Hypotheses to solve this mystery have been put forward by several historians.

While the watercourse shown is generally considered to be the Arno River with its many meanders, as to the identity of the bridge, historians differ: according to some experts, it is the Buriano Bridge, also located south of Florence and at the same time near the Romito di Laterina Bridge. other experts believe it is the Bobbio bridge north of Genoa.

However, Vinceti rejects these views: he points out that the number of arches shown in the painting, in this case four, corresponds to the number of arches that the bridge in question has.

He also notes that at the time Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa, he lived in Valdarno and probably often crossed the Romito di Laterina bridge.

In the village of Laterina, which has a little over 3,500 inhabitants, this historian’s conclusion aroused interest and curiosity.

The mayor of the village, Simona Neriová, announced that the village will try to save what is left of the bridge. She added that this will require funding.

According to the policy, a bicycle route should be created along the Arno River, which should lead near the remains of the bridge. The mayor hopes that the village will attract tourists in this way.

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Another still unsolved mystery of Mona Lisa is who da Vinci actually painted: in Italy and in France the painting is also known as La Gioconda, because there is a belief that it should be a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo – the wife of a Florentine merchant. Other theories suggest that the Renaissance painter painted another woman or even a man. It is also admitted that it is not about immortalizing a real living person.

It is a painting with oil paint on poplar wood using the sfumato technique – it is the overlapping of the transitions between light and shadow, the so-called chiaroscuro effect. The woman in the painting watches the viewer with an inimitable, mysterious smile, which has also become the subject of much speculation.

Currently, this painting is exhibited in the Louvre Museum in Paris.