Scientists are close to finding the remains of the model for Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece the Mona Lisa. Researchers have opened a centuries-old tomb in Florence, Italy. They believe it contains the skeleton of da Vinci's muse Lisa Gioconda, the wife of a 16th-century merchant. Silvano Vinceti, head of an Italian cultural heritage organisation, plans to test the DNA of the bones to find out if Ms Gioconda is the woman behind that famous, enigmatic smile. Mr Vinceti will then use a computer graphics program to make a face from the skull and compare it to the painting.

Leonardo da Vinci's painting has fascinated both art experts and ordinary people. Vinceti said: "For centuries, historians the world over have been coming up with various theories about who this enigmatic, mysterious woman could have been." He asks: "Was Gioconda the model for the Mona Lisa? Or was it some other model,…Or is it just…the painter's fantasy?" Antonio Moretti, a geologist, told euronews.com that the team is lucky because there are many bones that were all placed in order. They also have a nameplate indicating they belong to the Gioconda family.