Mantua

It is a City of very ancient origins; it is surrounded on three sides with a loop of the Mincio river which here widens and forms a lake. 

NOT TO MISS

The Cathedral: it was rebuilt on a previous building upon Giulio Romano’s project, of which a Romanesque bell-tower and a late Gothic flank remain. The façade is a Baroque work by N. Baschiera and dates back 1756. On the inside, there is a sarcophagus of the V Century with bas-reliefs; a 14th-Century “Crucifixion”; in the choir there is “SS. Trinità con la Madonna e il Battista” (The Holy Trinity with Our Lady and the Baptist) and frescoes by D. Fetti; the Chapel of Our Lady Coronated (1480), attributed to L. Fancelli and a “Pietà” by G. Bazzani.

The Ducal Palace: it covers a huge area; it has courtyards, gardens and a  square. It is a set of buildings belonging to different ages. The Captain Palace and the “Domus Magna”, of the end of the XIII Century, were made to order of Bonacolsi, ancient Lords of the City. St. George’s Castle and the Palatine Basilica of St. Barbara are also part of this group of building. Many environments can be visited, among which: Troy Hall, frescoed by Giulio Romano and his assistants, illustrating scenes of the Legend of Troy; the Princes Hall, with big fragments of frescoes of the cycle of the Knights and sinopites by Pisanello. The Dwarfs’ Flat is both picturesque and quaint, in the dimensions fit for those who dwell there, such as fools and member of the family; the Hall of Rivers; the “Cavallerizza” (The Riding School), a courtyard used for racing tourneys, a work by Giulio Romano. Among the pictorial works exhibited in this Palace, particular attention deserves the large painting by Rubens “I duchi Guglielmo e Vincenzo Gonzaga con le rispettive mogli Eleonora d’Austria ed Eleonora de’ Medici in adorazione della Trinità” (Duke Guglielmo and Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga with their wives, respectively Eleonora of Austria and Eleonora de’ Medici adorating the Holy Trinity). In St. George’s Castle, “La

Camera degli Sposi” (The Brides’ Room), with its walls and ceiling entirely frescoed by Mantegna, is considered to be this artist’s masterpiece. 

The Tea Palace: this name derives from the fact that the palace could be reached walking through an avenue of limetrees. This Palace is Giulio Romano’s architectural masterpiece who built it for Federico II Gonzaga. It reproduces the plan of the Roman houses: note its opening towards the external space and the large exedra. Many artists contributed with decorative stuccoes and frescoes. The first large room is all decorated with frescoes picturing horses; the Giants’ room has colossal figures; Psyche’s room, with stories concerning the myth of Psyche, is a work by Giulio Romano and his assistants and finally the Room of Stuccoes room, with decorations by Primaticcio and G.B. Scultori.