Monna Lisa: a unsolved mistery close to the Relais Grand Tour B&B

The street where the Relais Grand Tour is located it is called Via Santa Reparata, it is one of the most ancient in the Florence the city center. Its name is of the young Saint Reparata of african origins, who also gave the name to the crypt inside the Duomo Cathedral here in Firenze.

At the end of our street (corner with Via Guelfa) there is a very large old building called “Sant’Orsola“. Today it is unnihabited and looking for funds for restorations, and it looks like a strange, charming ruin.

This building, which hosts also important frescoes and gorgeous rooms (I saw it once a couple of yrs ago, during a public opening), was a small convent of Benedectine and Franciscan nuns, and it is there since 1309.  It became a very important Convent in a very short time after its foundation, and it is full of history and mistery.  A few years ago, during some works at the ground floor, they found 3 skeletons. Two of them seems to be of 1540 approximately, while the third is in very bad conditions to make the Carbon-14 exam. 

The famous Monna Lisa (called “La Gioconda” in the portait of Leonardo da Vinci, actually in the Louvre, Paris), was right in the Convent of Sant’Orsola during the last part of her life, together with one of her daughter Marietta who became Suor Ludovica and who was a respected member of the convent in a position of some responsibility. So, Monna Lisa spent her last years with her daughter in the Convent, and she was buried there.

The scientists are thinking that one of the skeletons can be of the La Gioconda, and as last opportunity, they have decided now to make a DNA testing.

The testing will be possible also because Monna Lisa  had five sons, and most of them were buried inside the Santissima Annunziata Church, which is located at a very short distance from our Bed & Breakfast Relais Grand Tour, walking in the direction of St. Marco square. The SS. Annunziata church hosts a private chapel called “Del Giocondo Chapel” (Cappella del Giocondo) where the sons and the husband of Lisa Gherardini Del Giocondo (this is the full name of Monna Lisa, where Monna meant Mrs, during the Renaissance) were buried in the crypt.

So, the scientists are going to make a DNA testing also on her sons. It will be very interesting to see what they will find opening the crypt, since it will be possible to find there more bodies that expected: the Monna Lisa could be moved from the Sant’Orsola Convent to the SS. Annunziata church after the death of her sons, so that all the members of del Giocondo Family were there.

Or, she is in the Sant’Orsola Convent. Or, we will never know where her body rests in peace. Anyway, it will take about 5 months to have a response by  the DNA testing, and we’re very curious and impatience to solve this mistery.

Don’t miss the end, stay tuned!