Bridge behind Mona Lisa found in Tuscany

Italian historian claims to have solved one of the mysteries of da Vinci’s masterpiece

For centuries, not only ordinary viewers, but art historians have been excited by every detail on the most famous masterpiece in the world. There are many versions of what the landscape behind the Mona Lisa hides. Versions have been put forward more than once, which particular place is depicted on the canvas of the great Leonardo. The Italian historian Silvano Vincheti claims that the bridge, depicted over the left shoulder of the Gioconda, is located in the town of Laterina, which is 64 km from Florence.

Silvano Vincheti said that he compared historical documents, da Vinci’s masterpiece and photographs of the area and thus established the geolocation of the landscape, which is depicted on the back of Mona Lisa. According to his conclusion, the place is located in the town of Laterina, which is 64 km from Florence (in the Tuscany region in the province of Arezzo). The main clue was an ancient bridge with four arches, which coincides with the bridge on the masterpiece.

Previously, many researchers also used this particular detail of the landscape to determine the geography of the place. 10 years ago, researcher Carla Glory claimed that the canvas depicts the surroundings of the northern Italian town of Bobbio, where the monastery of San Colombano is located, which served as one of the prototypes for the novel The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.

Tour guides like to say that the writer was inspired by the ancient Roman bridge. And having determined the place, she made another conclusion, more sensational – the painting does not depict the wife of the merchant Francesco del Giocondo, but the daughter of the Duke of Milan, Bianca Giovanna Sforza.

However, Leonardo still admired another bridge – the version of Carla Glory was quickly refuted. The bridge from the da Vinci painting and the one from Bobbio did not have the same number of arches.

Another Italian researcher, Olivia Neshi, claimed that Leonardo painted a mysterious landscape in the northeastern region of Italy – in Motefeltro. This version also led to a revision of the main intrigue – who is the mysterious lady that is depicted in Leonardo’s painting? The bridge in Motefeltro led to the version that the portrait is not the wife of a silk merchant, but the married lady Pacifica Brandani, who was the mistress of Giuliano Medici. He was exiled to the Duchy of Umbria, not far from Motefeltro.

The version of Silvano Vincheti, who believes that the landscape was painted in Laterina, returns to the generally accepted version that the Florentine Lisa del Giocondo (Gherardini) is on the canvas. Leonardo himself did not leave an explanation about the identity of the model, but Giorgio Vasari, the author of the “Biographies of Illustrious Painters, Sculptors and Architects,” wrote: “Leonardo undertook to paint for Francesco del Giocondo a portrait of his wife, Mona Lisa, and after working on it for four years, so and left it unfinished. This work is now with the King of France, Francis, in Fontainebleau.

By the way, it was Vincheti who in 2015 found the burial place of a noble lady – in the Florentine monastery of St. Ursula. Confirmation that the remains belong to her was the church book, which contains a record of the burial of Lisa Gherardini.

Another interesting detail: the fact that the bridge from Leonardo’s painting is located in Laterina was mentioned earlier. Back in 1995, the Italian researcher Caolo Starnazzi stated this. Vincheti has now reached the same conclusion, adding versions of the new evidence.

The inhabitants of the town with a population of just over 3,500 people were delighted with the cultural sensation. Laterina Mayor Simone Neri said she would try to “protect what’s left of the bridge and that will require funding.”

A bicycle road is already being designed next to the bridge. They are now waiting for an influx of tourists, journalists and money. This is how it happens: art with a centuries-old history can not only fascinate and excite descendants, but also change the fate of cities, albeit small ones.