This is the story of two families, the Gherardini and the Del Giocondo, an exceptional model, a testament, and the world's most famous painting, all set against the backdrop of Renaissance Florence. Giuseppe Pallanti, following Vasari's lead, bases his work on a meticulous and in-depth review of archival materials in attributing a name to the face of the Mona Lisa: Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo. The author looks beyond the myth enshrouding one of the absolute masterpieces of Leonardo's genius, and gives us "Mona Lisa" as a woman with an authentic and living face. With his engaging and readable style, he has reconstructed her personal and historical dimension. The revelation of the mysterious identity of the model, unknown up to now and object of the most disparate and far-fetched hypotheses, certainly takes nothing away from the enigmatic quality of that smile. It becomes even more fascinating to us after we have been immersed in the world of her affections and read her husband's testament, palpably imbued with a genuine love for his cherished wife. The beauty of her spirit now seems even more radiant than the external beauty eternalised by Leonardo.
