With more than 30,000 works of art on display, the Louvre is a full inventory of Western civilization. And among the most popular is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Experiencing the Mona Lisa is more than just seeing a famous painting. It’s a spectacle, with seething crowds and a commotion of cameras. It’s the only painting anywhere where you actually hear its crowds before you see it. Though the portrait is generally accepted as a likeness of Lisa del Giocondo, other hypotheses about the sitter’s identity have been suggested, including the idea that it’s Leonardo himself. The overall mood is one of balance and serenity, but there’s also an element of mystery. Mona’s smile and long-distance beauty are subtle and elusive, tempting but always just out of reach, like strands of a street singer’s melody drifting through the Métro tunnel. Mona doesn’t knock your socks off, but she winks at the patient viewer #ricksteves #ricksteveseurope #monalisa #louvre #louvremuseum