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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Dalya Alberge

Mystery of where Mona Lisa was painted has been solved, geologist claims

The Mona Lisa
The painting’s bridge, lake and rocks might have finally identified the landscape. Photograph: IanDagnall Computing/Alamy

The landscape behind Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has sparked endless debate, with some art historians suggesting the view was imaginary and idealised, and others claiming various links to specific Italian locations.

Now a geologist and Renaissance art historian believes she has finally solved the mystery in one of the world’s most famous paintings. Ann Pizzorusso has combined her two fields of expertise to suggest that Leonardo painted several recognisable features of Lecco, on the shores of Lake Como in the Lombardy region of northern Italy.

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