Scientists say they are close to finding the remains of the woman who modelled for Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece the Mona Lisa. Researchers have opened a centuries-old tomb in the Italian city of Florence. They believe they will find the skeleton of da Vinci's muse Lisa Gioconda, the wife of a 16th-century silk merchant. Silvano Vinceti, head of Italy's National Committee for the Promotion of Historic and Cultural Heritage, plans to test the DNA of the bones under the church to determine whether or not Ms Gioconda is the woman behind that famous, enigmatic smile. Mr Vinceti will then use a computer graphics program to generate a face from the skull and compare it to the painting.

Leonardo da Vinci's painting has been a constant source of fascination for art experts and ordinary folk alike. 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, as some people say? Or is it just a construction of the painter's fantasy?" Antonio Moretti, a geologist from L'Aquila University told the euronews.com website: "We were very lucky I'd say, because not only is there a good amount of bone remains, but they are also disposed of in order at the bottom of the crypt, with a plate indicating they belong to the Gioconda family."