WHEN MOSA LINA LOST HER SMILE - AND FOUND HER WAY HOME

Italian art thief Vincenzo Peruggia snatched Leonardo di Vinci's famed Mona Lisa from the Louvre in Paris in broad daylight in 1911 and hid it for two years in Italy.

The scene above shows officials inspecting the work after its recovery in Florence.

The thief had worked briefly at the famed museum - scene of another spectacular theft of artifacts in October 2025.

Sent to prison, Peruggia was quoted as saying he committed the spectacular crime for patriotic reasons. "I am an Italian and I do not want the picture given back to the Louvre." He later joined the Italian Army.  

Reporting on the theft, the United Press said: "The picture was seen in its place at noon and shortly afterward it was noted that its place was vacant."

[Photo: Public Domain]