The Mona Lisa's tidal wave and the Romito bridge

After decades of debate over the identity of the bridge depicted in the background of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, new material evidence enriches and strengthens the hypothesis that it is the Romito Bridge in Laterina, in the province of Arezzo. In his latest book, "La Gioconda svelata" (Susil Edizioni), historian and researcher Silvano Vinceti brings to light a previously ignored detail: an ancient stone wall used to capture the waters of the Arno River, which would generate a characteristic wave or whirlpool visible both in a preparatory study by Leonardo and in the painting held at the Louvre.

In support of this theory, Vinceti cites the discovery of an ancient stone wall for capturing water from the Arno River, once used to power a mill documented as early as 1501 and 1504, the same years Leonardo is said to have been in the Valdarno. This wall, located downstream from the Romito Bridge, would generate a characteristic "rogue wave" or small whirlpool, an element present both in a preparatory study by Leonardo for the Mona Lisa and in the final painting now held at the Louvre.

A hydraulic detail, that of the whirlpool, which according to Vinceti had already been noted by art historian Carlo Pedretti in a "young" version of the Mona Lisa, belonging to a private French collection. Pedretti, in his book "A Study for the Mona Lisa" (Esperia Edizioni), wrote: "At the exit point of the wide bend preceding the bridge, there is the suggestion of a whirlpool. This idea is essentially Vincian, and even if it is only hinted at, it seems to me to be of significant importance."

According to Vinceti's reconstruction, what makes the connection with the Romito Bridge particularly credible is this old stone wall, seemingly insignificant but actually unique among the various bridges considered to have inspired Leonardo. Unlike other structures proposed over the years, none of them feature a water collection system downstream combined with a mill dating to Leonardo's time. This is a key element, according to Vinceti, which opens up new insights. "Until now, there were no reliable documents regarding the period of construction and operation of the mill," Vinceti explained to Adnkronos, "but now, thanks to new sources, we know that it was built before 1300 by the monks of the Badia di Santa Maria in Alpe - San Galgano del Pratomagno, with the support of the Ubertini family."

The Romito bridge and its adjacent mill were part of a strategic hub for the passage between the Valdarno and Siena, and also required the payment of a toll, Vinceti recalls: "A living presence, embedded in the historical and social fabric of the time, and therefore plausibly observed by Tuscan genius."

Naturally, this hypothesis fits into a context crowded with decades of theories and claims. The "Mona Lisa Bridge" has become almost a symbol of cultural parochialism, with various cities and scholars quick to recognize glimpses of their own lands in Leonardo's landscape. But the hydraulic clue identified by Vinceti—that small whirlpool of water generated by a forgotten wall—could offer a different perspective. The Romito Bridge hypothesis doesn't claim to settle the debate, but it does refocus attention on a previously overlooked detail: a small sign in the real landscape that may have found an echo in Leonardo's painting. And in a painting where every detail counts, even an ancient ripple of water can become a key to interpretation.