The Lombardy region has offered to host Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, regional Culture Councillor Francesca Caruso said on Friday.
    The offer was made after French newspaper Le Parisien published a letter in which Laurence des Cars, president of the Louvre Museum, requested urgent help from French Culture Minister Rachida Dati to renovate its ageing exhibition halls in order to better protect masterworks including the Mona Lisa.
    "We are ready to host the Mona Lisa in Lombardy", said the councillor.
    "I will not discuss the specific observations made by the president on the state of the museum but I am welcoming the appeal to look for a different location" for Leonardo's iconic masterpiece.
    "I would say that, while awaiting the French government's decision over moving" artworks and renovations, "we in Lombardy are very happy to host this oeuvre that represents the best of Italian art and culture".
    According to Caruso, hosting the masterwork in Lombardy "would be even more meaningful" ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
    In the letter to Dati, reported by Paris daily Le Parisien, des Cars said the Louvre, the world's most-visited museum, is in a dire state, stressing that issues such as water leaks and temperature swings could damage the art on display.
    In addition to renovation work, the museum has been reported to be considering building a new wing specifically for the Mona Lisa, as well as a new entrance to ease congestion at the pyramid-shaped western entrance designed by architect Ieoh Ming Pei.

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