SOLVED! Decades-old mystery behind location of da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. All you need to know

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is known for its mysterious expression. Not only that, the painting is a well-known mystery, from who the subject is, to where the painting is situated a.k.a., its background, among some of themany subjects of intrigue for long.

Now, an Italian geologist and art historian, Ann Pizzorusso, believes she may have solved one of the painting's secrets—the exact location depicted in its background.

Small Italian town

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Pizzorusso, who specialises in Leonardo Da Vinci and the Renaissance, as per CNN, has suggested the scene behind the Mona Lisa is set in Lecco, a town on the southeastern shore of Lake Como, Italy.

Her theory stems from her geological expertise and her study of Leonardo's diaries and drawings. In one notebook entry, Leonardo mentions being in Lecco while working as an engineer, though his project there was ultimately cancelled.

His geological sketches from this time, including a red chalk drawing of a mountain range near Lecco — now part of the Royal Collection at Windsor, London — seem to support Pizzorusso's claim, reports CNN.

The distinctive "sawtooth" pattern in the mountain range, which Pizzorusso identifies as a type of erosion unique to limestone, is a key factor in her theory.

While other historians have previously proposed locations like Bobbio or Arezzo, Pizzorusso is the first to make this connection, focussing not on the arched bridge over the Mona Lisa's right shoulder but on the unique rock formations on the horizon.

"Bridges are fungible," she notes, whereas the limestone pinnacles are more distinctive.

"If you look in the background, you'll see pinnacles. It's a type of erosion that happens in limestone that has fractures in it and breaks off in blocks, almost like a sawtooth pattern… We can show limestone exists in (Lecco). When you look at the Mona Lisa, there's a series of mountains in the background that have this sawtooth pattern," she told the publication.

Pizzorusso also points to the body of water behind the Mona Lisa, which she identifies as Lake Como. This glacial lake, dating back about 10,000 years, has a shape characteristic of glacial scouring.

"If you look behind her you have the elongated glacial lakes that have a particular form like fingers," said the geologist, adding, "because when the glacier moved it scoured out certain pieces of land."

A theory worth 30 years

Reportedly, despite her conviction, Pizzorusso kept her theory mostly to herself for 30 years, discussing it only with other Leonardo scholars.

Confident that "everything added up", she will present her findings at a geology conference in Lecco this week.

However, her discovery raises further questions about Leonardo’s choices. If the location is indeed Lecco, why did Leonardo place the Mona Lisa—thought by some to be Lisa Gherardini, a rich Tuscan merchant’s wife—in this wild, untamed environment, far from Tuscany?

Pizzorusso ponders Leonardo's possible message: "Why did he put her in this wild, untamed environment? This is not Tuscany. What was he trying to tell us by putting this serene, enigmatic lady in this rugged, alpine environment?".

(With inputs from agencies)