The famous landscape behind the Mona Lisa which for centuries has puzzled scholars all over the world would be none other than the Susa Valley.
The sensational hypothesis comes from the art historian and writer Silvano Vincetipresident of the National Committee for the Valorization of Historical, Cultural and Environmental Heritage, in the book “The landscape of the Mona Lisa between mysteries and suggestions” (Armando Editore, 176 pages, 14 euros), out these days.
The reconstruction of how the Susa Valley ended up in the most famous painting in the history of art it is exciting and adventurous. We start from a historical fact: Leonardo da Vinci made his last trip to France in 1517, two years before his death. A journey, and this is nothing new given that more scholars had already carried out this reconstruction, which he would have addressed along the Via Francigena and crossing the Moncenisioat the time the most “travelled” route to reach France.
During his research, Vinceti exhumed and examined many historical documents, driven by the desire to understand what route Leonardo took to go to France, to Amboise, for the last time and in what year. AND what was observed during this trip, Vinceti claims, «most likely inspired Leonardo to paint part of the landscape to the right of the Mona Lisa (on the left, looking at the painting). The genius of the Renaissance, in fact, depicted details of real landscapes in the overall background of his paintings. Thesis confirmed by Professor Carlo Vecce and, in an older era, by the Leonardesque historian Gustavo Uzielli”. «Leonardo, therefore – writes Vinceti in the book – on his journey towards Amboise saw the mountain ranges that surround the Mont Cenis hill, and specifically that of Rockmelon, where the old Via Francigena passed. And he also saw a small lake »that is what it would be Lake Ferrera, which is located in the territory of the Municipality of Moncenisio, on the border with French territory. Also using a drone, the art historian was able to compare these details with the upper part of the landscape painted by Leonardo behind the Mona Lisa. “The correspondence is truly remarkable.”
And, to support the theses presented, Silvano Vinceti and a collaborator they discovered in the upper part of the Mona Lisa landscapeabove the lake and the mountain of Rocciamelone, what appears to be writing: “juse”. It is a French term that refers to Val Susa; one of those that Leonardo also used in his will.
Vinceti had already hit the headlines for having identified another element of the Mona Lisa landscape: the bridge. In 2023 he had in fact had one global resonance the alleged belief that it was the Romito Bridge. Today only one arch remains of the Etruscan-Roman artefact, in Laterina, a small municipality in the municipality of Laterina Pergine Valdarno, in the province of Arezzo. Another area that Leonardo had frequented during his travels.
