Mona Lisa
Today the "Mona Lisa" is considered the most famous painting in the world, but until the 20th century it was simply one among many highly regarded artworks.
Once part of King Francis I of France's collection, the "Mona Lisa" was among the first artworks to be exhibited in Louvre, which became a national museum after the French Revolution. From the 19th century Leonardo began to be revered as a genius and the painting's popularity grew from the mid-19th century when French intelligentsia developed a theme that it was mysterious and a representation of the femme fatale.
The Baedeker guide in 1878 called it "the most celebrated work of Leonardo in the Louvre", but the painting was known more by the intelligentsia than the general public.
The 1911 theft of the "Mona Lisa" and its subsequent return was reported worldwide, leading to a massive increase in public recognition of the painting. During the 20th century it was an object for mass reproduction, merchandising, lampooning and speculation, and was claimed to have been reproduced in "300 paintings and 2,000 advertisements". It has been said that the "Mona Lisa" was regarded as "just another Leonardo until early last century, when the scandal of the painting's theft from the Louvre and subsequent return kept a spotlight on it over several years."
Bobbio
Bobbio is located in the heart of Val Trebbia, a valley described by Ernest Hemingway as "the most beautiful in the world". The town is nestled at the foot of Monte Penice, above sea level, on the left bank of the river Trebbia.
Its history is identified with the Abbey founded in 614 by St. Columbanus an Irish missionary, and as a result it became one of the principal centers of religious culture in medieval Italy, home to a famous library and basilica. The possessions of the abbey in the Lombard and Carolingian eras spanned the north of Italy.
Bobbio is a coveted tourist destination known for its history of art and culture, for nature lovers, and for its ancient monuments. It has from antiquity been a crossroads between different cultures such as the Piacentine, Ligurian, Piedmontese, and Pavian.
The historical center and heart of the city has maintained the characteristics of the medieval village.
One town landmark, the Ponte Vecchio, called "Ponte Gobbo" (Hunchback Bridge), also known as the "Devil's Bridge", is an ancient stone bridge of Roman origin, which crosses the river Trebbia in eleven irregular arches. 
The Shrine of Our Lady of Penice, located on top of Monte Penice, dominates the landscape, and is also popular in winter for its ski resorts.
Historians have speculated that Bobbio was the town in which Leonardo da Vinci completed the Mona Lisa.
Carla Glori in December 2011 has published her book "Enigma Leonardo:decifrazioni e scoperte" where the background of the portrait has been identified as the landscape of Bobbio.