Mona Lisa's Florence

Review of MONA LISA: A Life Discovered

Florence is a magical city. Upon receiving my college degree, I was fortunate to have won a generous scholarship from the Patrons of Italian Culture in Los Angeles and studied in Florence for a summer program. It was there I learned to speak the language of my ancestors and fully embraced the beautiful Italian culture. For anyone who loves Florence, Mona Lisa, a Life Discovered is the book for you. Read more →

A Walking Tour of Mona Lisa's Florence

With this self-directed tour, you can travel back in time to the city where Lisa Gherardini grew up, married, had children, inspired a genius and survived some of the most tumultuous decades in Florence’s history. Enjoy experiencing Florence in an entirely new way: through Mona Lisa’s eyes. Read more →

An Interview about the Real Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa, La Gioconda from Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, was a real person. And we’re not talking about a self-portrait of the artist, as you may think. Mona Lisa was a real Florentine woman, born and raised in Florence under the name of Lisa Gherardini. To learn all the details of this amazing story, we spoke to the author of the book Mona Lisa, A Life Discovered, Dianne Hales, who gave us this exclusive interview Read more →

Celebrating Mona Lisa's Birthday--and Monnalisa Day

In a tradition that started six years ago, Lisa's hometown celebrates her birthday with a festival. This week Via Sguazza will be decorated in art honoring "la musa rinascimentale-icona pop" (the Renaissance muse-pop icon). Everyone is invited to attend. Click here for more information on the Monnalisa Day Facebook page. Read more →

Another Fascinating Italian Woman: Luisa Spagnoli

On March 8, the Italian Cultural Institute observed International Women’s Day with best-selling author, Dianne Hales. Ms. Hales’ revealing presentation about the life and achievements of Luisa Spagnoli was a perfect complement to International Women’s Day. This story is actually about two extraordinary women, Luisa and Dianne. Read more →

New Life for Mona Lisa's Final Resting Place

Mona Lisa Gherardini, the woman with the world's most recognized smile, celebrates her 538th birthday this month. The mother of six children lived quietly as a merchant's wife in Florence. Yet mysteries have long surrounded her. The greatest, still unsolved, is why the renowned Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci chose to paint her portrait. For centuries, scholars puzzled over another question: Where and when did she die? Read more →

Mona Lisa's Smile

More than five centuries after Leonardo painted the world’s most famous portrait, Mona Lisa continues to fascinate the world. Is she beaming or brooding? Do her lips curl in a smile or sneer? Is her expression sultry, seductive, melancholy—or merely mysterious? Read more →

The Theft of the Mona Lisa

"La Joconde, c’est partie!” (The Mona Lisa is gone!) a guard at the Louvre gasped in horror on Tuesday, August 22, 1911. Only four iron hooks framed by a ghostly rectangular shape hung in her place on the wall. The frame was found unmarred in a stairwell, as if the Florentine lady had emerged from it, in one chronicler’s words, “as effortlessly as a woman stepped out of her petticoats.” In an instant La Joconde became the most wanted woman in the world. Read more →

Mona Lisa Goes Global

Mona (Madame) Lisa Gherardini, born in 1479, never ventured beyond her native Italy, yet hers is a face recognized around the world. As Mona LIsa: A Life Discovered makes its way into foreign translations, I delight in seeing the story of this Florentine wife and mother travel into different languages and different places. Read more →

Celebrating the Quintessential Renaissance Artist

The consummate Renaissance man was born on April 15, 1452 in rural Anchiano, a hamlet near the town of Vinci. His mother, Caterina, was an unmarried country girl. His father Piero, a legal professional called a notaio, moved to Florence shortly thereafter and wed a socially suitable bride. Young Leonardo, listed as “non legittimo” in the local tax records, grew up in his paternal grandparents' home. Read more →