Famous Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci's world-renowned artwork, the "Mona Lisa," painted in the 16th century, is now believed to feature Romito Bridge located in the Laterina district of the Arezzo province in its background.
The results of the research, coordinated by historian Silvano Vincenti, who has previously identified and diagnosed the world's most famous portrait, were announced at a news conference held at the Foreign Press Association in Rome.
In a recent study based on historical documents, current photographs and comparisons with the famous painting, Vincenti stated that the bridge seen in the painting was clearly identified, "This bridge is the Romito Bridge, an Etruscan-Roman bridge in Laterina, Arezzo province, also known as the Ponte di Valle."
Vincenti explained that the Romito Bridge had four arches, and only one arch is still standing today.
The Italian researcher also explained that the bridge was actively used in the 16th century because it shortened travel time between Arezzo, Fiesole and Florence, as reflected in the state archives of Florence of that period.
Vincenti also said that the characteristic winding form of the Arno River in the region corresponded to the landscape on the left side of the noblewoman depicted in Leonardo da Vinci's work.
Vincenti added that drone images and the analysis of historical documents contributed to the high probability of identifying the landscape depicted in the lower left of the "Mona Lisa."
Previously, the bridge in question had been claimed to be the medieval bridge in Bobbio in the Piacenza province or a bridge in Buriano in the Arezzo province.
Leonardo da Vinci's famous Renaissance-era artwork, painted between 1503 and 1507 and said to depict Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo, is still on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
