Today Italian Vice-President Matteo Salvini jokingly advocated bringing the „Mona Lisa“ from the Louvre in Paris back to Italy. During a press conference in Rome on Leonardo da Vinci’s 500th anniversary, the Minister of the Interior said: „I announce that we are working with the French Ambassador to bring back the ‚Mona Lisa‘.“
It would be „more comfortable“ for those who wanted to see the world-famous painting up close, added the Lega boss. Only then did he add: „Fun aside – of course we do not need any further international crises.“
Relations between Italy and France have been strained for months. Reasons include the dispute over the high-speed road between the northern Italian city of Turin and the French city of Lyon, the reception of refugees, but also the dispute over the lending of works of the universal genius Da Vinci in the anniversary year. In February, France had withdrawn its ambassador temporarily from Italy after sharp criticism of the Italian leadership to President Emmanuel Macron.
