The Lombardy region is applying to bring Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa back to Italy. Following an alarm about the condition of the Louvre, the Parisian museum where the artwork is displayed, raised by President Laurence Des Cars, Lombardy has stated its readiness to temporarily host the painting, possibly in conjunction with the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

In a report sent to French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, which was supposed to remain confidential but ended up in the press, Des Cars emphasized the urgent need for structural work, pointing out that the Mona Lisa deserves a different location.

According to art historians, the Mona Lisa is believed to depict Lisa Gherardini, an aristocratic noblewoman from Florence and the wife of Francesco Del Giocondo, an Italian noble merchant. This is why the painting is called La Gioconda. However, the artwork is also known as Monna Lisa—in this case, the reference is to the name of the woman portrayed, with the word “Monna” being a diminutive of “Madonna,” which today would translate to “Signora” (Lady).

The artwork was painted by the quintessential Italian, in Italy, depicting an Italian woman, yet it is in France. There are several myths surrounding this painting, created between 1503 and 1504, some of which have even led to diplomatic incidents and a heated rivalry between the two countries. However, the real reason the Mona Lisa is in Paris is quite simple, though not widely known. It was Leonardo da Vinci himself who brought it there when he moved to France in 1516. A few months later, the painting was sold by the Tuscan genius to the then King of France, Francis I, who purchased it for around 4,000 gold ducats. In the following centuries, the Mona Lisa became part of the collections of French royalty—Louis XIV took it to the Palace of Versailles—before being displayed at the Louvre after the French Revolution. So, the reason the Mona Lisa is in France is simple: it was purchased by the French king nearly 500 years ago.

It is false and untrue that the Mona Lisa was taken from Italy by Napoleon during his Italian campaign of 1796. The painting had already been in France for over 200 years. Instead, it is more likely that this myth originated when the Louvre Museum was decorated with numerous other Italian artworks that were indeed brought to Paris by Napoleon after his military campaign in the late 18th century. However, the Mona Lisa was not among these paintings.

The only theft truly connected to Leonardo da Vinci’s painting is the one that occurred in 1911, when an ex-employee of the Louvre, the Italian Vincenzo Peruggia, took the artwork with the intention of returning it to Italy. Peruggia kept the Mona Lisa for over two years before attempting to sell it in Florence, intending to return it to Italy. This was a huge misstep, as he was arrested once his actions were discovered. After the painting was recovered and taking advantage of the friendly relations between Italy and France at the time, the artwork was exhibited throughout Italy before eventually returning to Paris. That was the first, and so far the only, time the Mona Lisa remained on Italian soil.