La Gioconda by Leonardo da Vinci, was the protagonist of one of the most famous singular episodes that has ever happened to a master piece of art, above all because of the motive of the theft. The story of the theft, somewhat romantic, somewhat insane, that has in some way enchanted all, began on Monday, August 21st, 1911. While the Louvre was closed to the public, Louis Beroud, a copyist, went to the museum to produce a replica of the piece by Leonardo, but remained dumbfounded when he discovered that the Mona Lisa had disappeared. The French police fumbled in the dark for a good two years before discovering the truth. Never before had a master piece of art been stolen from a museum, and surely never one so important. They were even led to believe that it had been a government job; the French blamed the Germans, but many came to the stand, including Pablo Picasso, who was interrogated but immediately released. In 1913, after two years of searching, the painting mysteriously reappeared in Florence. Like an adventure from Ars�ne Lupin, the theft was committed by Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian immigrated to France at a young age, who, among many of the jobs he had done, had also mounted the glass shrine where Leonardo's masterpiece was guarded. No longer working at the Louvre, it wasn't difficult for him to take possession of the painting and leave undisturbed from the museum with the stolen goods under his coat. He hid the canvas in a suitcase for 28 months, under the bed in a boarding house in Paris, until, with the sole wish of restituting the piece to Italy, he decided, ingenuously, to go to Florence to sell the painting for a few dollars. During that time, Giovanni Poggi was the director of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and it was he who came across the stolen Gioconda, even though it seemed that its tracks had been lost. It was he who noted that it was not one of the many replicas that were circulating during that epic, but rather the real original. He found Peruggia and convinced him to restitute the painting. The mystery was concluded when, on December 11th, 1913, the painting was given to Giovanni Poggi at a hotel in Florence, at the time called Hotel Tripoli, in room n.20 where the thief Peruggia was staying with the hidden painting. It was right after this "historical" meeting that the hotel changed its name to the "Hotel La Gioconda". Hotel La Gioconda welcomes you to Florence and into its historical building in the center of this beautiful city. Its tasteful and refined environment still echoes the adventure from which the hotel gets its name and that made it celebrated a century ago, when in 1913, in the famous room n.20, La Gioconda, the masterpiece done by Leonardo da Vinci and stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris, was retrieved. The hotel was originally called "Hotel Tripoli", but after the aforementioned episode, it took on the name of the famous painting. During the course of the last century the hotel had various owners up until 1972, when it came into the expert hands of the Li Pira family who still manages it today. Initially, Mario Li Pira, a man gifted with a remarkable competence in the touristic sector, took on management alone, and in 1989, intuiting the potentials, made the decision to undergo skillful restorations making the most of the historical atmosphere of the hotel, while emphasizing on modern comforts and the original structure, as well. It has been since then that Hotel La Gioconda is among the best 3 star hotels in Florence. It was in that same year that Mrs. Ute, wife of Mario Li Pira, became part of the management alongside her husband, adding a feminine touch which has contributed to render the environment of the hotel yet more welcoming and comfortable. The Li Pira's ran the hotel alone up until 1995, the year in which their only daughter Tanja, after having graduated with a degree in Political Science, decided to join in the management. With the entrance of the young graduate, Tanja, the hotel underwent further transformations from a technological standpoint, resulting in one of the first hotels in Florence to have Internet. The three components of the Li Pira family worked together, side by side, up until 2002, when Mario, unfortunately, died. Notwithstanding their sad loss, Mrs. Li Pira and her daughter Tanja were determined and, although left to manage the hotel alone, with fine touches and class were able to give it the modern and refined line that characterizes the Hotel La Gioconda today. It was then, in 2002, that they decided to restructure the ex-new hotel, bringing changes to both the external and internal architecture, without radically changing the original structure. The furnishings and details of the 24 rooms and common spaces in the hotel were renovated, adapting the hotel to the highest standards of hygiene, sanitation and fire prevention, without altering the authenticity of the edifice. Therefore, today, thanks to the indisputable management capacity of the two Li Pira women, guests are embraced in spaces furnished with simple elegance, cared for in detail and enriched with exemplary services and conveniences. At the reception, open 24 hours, one can ask for any information necessary to help make their stay in Florence enjoyable; reservations for guided visits and excursions to museums and monuments. Also, fax services and, of course, Internet is available. All guests can enjoy the common spaces of the hotel like the lobby and relaxing TV lounge, as they can the nutritious continental breakfast buffet in the modern hall where it is found.