The Adventures of the Mona Lisa

Here’s a tale about the travels of Leonard Da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa that many don’t know.

In 1911, the precious Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in Paris. Leonardo da Vinci's iconic masterpiece simply vanished or so it seemed. A daring thief named Vincenzo Peruggia thought it was simply outrageous that the masterpiece was residing in France and wanted to bring her back to Italy where he believed she so rightly belonged. So, he whisked the Mona Lisa away as if she were a superstar on tour. From the stories I have read, it seems like the heist itself was fairly easy. At the time, the Mona Lisa was not as famous as it is today.

For two long years, the Mona Lisa was missing. Mr. Peruggia was hiding the work hidden in his apartment the whole time! He was questioned as a suspect, but his story was believable to the authorities.

In 1913, Mr. Peruggia decided it was time to return the Mona Lisa to her rightful home in Italy. The story goes that he contacted an art gallery owner in an attempt to sell the painting who then contacted the Director of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, one Giovanni Poggi. I have read that our thief even thought the Uffizi would buy it off of him.

Things did not go as planned for our misguided thief. Mr. Poggi scheduled the meeting with Mr. Peruggia as requested. The meeting occurred at a hotel that is now known as The Frame Hotel in Florence (I stayed there which is where I learned this wonderful story), but Mr. Poggi’s intention was different than Mr. Peruggia’s! Once Mr. Peruggia showed him the Mona Lisa, Mr, Poggi told Mr. Peruggia that he needed to take the work back to the museum to verify authenticity and Mr. Poggi left with the Mona Lisa.

Instead of verifying authenticity, Mr. Poggi contacted the authorities who immediately returned to the hotel room and arrested Mr. Peruggia. He was sentenced to one year and 15 days in jail, but he served only 7 months.

The Mona Lisa was returned to The Louvre, where it remains to this day. And now is one of the most visited works in the world. In fact, rumor has it that the Mona Lisa became as famous as it did because of this heist.

So, the next time you find yourself gazing upon the Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile, remember the wild ride she took us all on back in the early 1900s!