The bridge of Buriano, near Arezzo, is it he who appears behind the painting of the Mona Lisa?
A tiny dot immortalized on one of Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpieces, the Mona Lisa, could be the one found on the road called Setteponti and which leads from Arezzo to Castiglion Fibocchi and Loro Ciuffenna. This is the Buriano bridge, an artifact that still allows the crossing of the Arno river today and that the great Italian genius was able to paint in his most famous masterpiece in the world.
A construction of medieval origin, that of the Buriano Bridge, a stone artifact with mighty arches and which dates back to 1240. It was not an easy task to build it. The construction took 37 years to complete, in fact, it was only completed in 1277. The bridge is composed of six arches that allow the crossing of the river and still today, passing or looking at it from the shore, it transmits all its charm, especially if we think of it painted behind the Mona Lisa, the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci that is on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Since its construction, it has withstood all calamities, including that of the retreating Germans during the Second World War. To stop the advance of the allies, the Nazi army planned to blow it up. Intent immediately aborted when the material perpetrators of the terrible crime found themselves in front of this architecture: given its beauty, they gave up the intent.
The hypothesis
In recent years, scholars have been taking into consideration that that tiny bridge is depicted to the left of the Mona Lisa, it can be seen just over the shoulder, it may be the Buriano Bridge (on the right for us looking). The only certainty is that the area where it is built in the conjunction, or rather, where the Casentino – the first valley bathed by the Arno – the Upper Valdarno and the Val di Chiana end (or begin according to the points of view).
Points of view
To better admire the beauty of the Buriano Bridge we can go down almost to the shore. Shortly before the start of the structure, for those arriving from Arezzo, on the left, you will find a country road, which can be found by looking carefully. Following it, it only takes a few steps to get another view of the bridge structure. We can see it from below, and it will appear to us in all its majesty. Just as Leonardo da Vinci painted him behind the enigmatic Mona Lisa.
From the shore, it seems that the water flowing under the bridge, the sky, and the clouds merge. Maybe it’s just a suggestion, maybe it’s just the indescribable emotion of having arrived and having a fragment in front of your eyes, a detail of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, immortalized in his most mysterious masterpiece.
As I arrive at the Buriano bridge
From Arezzo, you can arrive by car, or by bicycle, (but the road is busy) following the Sp1, or Setteponti, in the direction of Castiglion Fibocchi. After 14 Km we meet the Buriano Bridge at the point where the Arno forms a dam, called della Penna and begins the Ponte Buriano and La Penna Nature Reserve
