Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, one of the most renowned works of art in the world, continues to captivate with its enigmatic smile and mysterious background. Despite being over 500 years old, many aspects of this masterpiece remain shrouded in mystery.
However, geologist and Renaissance art historian Ann Pizzorusso believes she has solved one of the painting’s great mysteries. Pizzorusso used her expertise to identify the landscape depicted in the portrait, pinpointing the 14th-century bridge in the background as being located in the town of Lecco, on the shores of Lake Como in the Lombardy region of northwest Italy.
Pizzorusso recently presented her findings at a conference in northern Italy. Combining her knowledge of both geology and art history, she described Leonardo da Vinci not just as an artist but also as a “great geologist.”
“I see da Vinci as the father of geology,” Pizzorusso explained, noting Leonardo’s commitment to geological accuracy. “When you look at the rocks and vegetation in his paintings, they are entirely natural and recognizable. This is one of his distinctive features.”
Pizzorusso detailed how she traced Leonardo’s steps to places he was known to have visited 500 years ago. “I look at his paintings and drawings, and even after all this time, I can still see those landscapes,” she said.
For centuries, art historians have attempted to identify the bridge depicted in the Mona Lisa. Pizzorusso pointed out that many had focused solely on the bridges, but it was also essential to consider the geological features and the lake. “It’s like searching for a Mini Cooper; they are everywhere in Italy. You need a bridge, but also that specific terrain and lake. Everything matched here,” she explained.
Pizzorusso matched the geological features in the Mona Lisa to those found in Lecco on the shores of Lake Como. She also noted that Leonardo spent a significant amount of time at the lake, attempting to construct a canal from Milan to Lake Como. However, this project was ultimately abandoned due to the rocky terrain.
She identified the mountains in the painting’s background as the Alps, known to be visited by Leonardo. The bridge, she concluded, is the Azzone Visconti Bridge, built in the 14th century.
To determine the location, Pizzorusso utilized modern tools such as Google Maps, Google Earth, and drones. She emphasized that when she combined all her findings, “everything fell into place.”
In 2011, another theory suggested that the bridge and road in the Mona Lisa were located in the small town of Bobbio in northern Italy. Last year, it was claimed that the bridge was in the Arezzo region. Additionally, the Romito Bridge in Laterina had also been linked to the Mona Lisa in the past.
This 16th-century masterpiece is displayed in the Louvre Museum in Paris, where it attracts millions of visitors worldwide. Leonardo da Vinci was not just a painter but also a sculptor, engineer, scientist, mathematician, and inventor. His discoveries from 500 years ago paved the way for the invention of many tools still in use today.