DK Travel : Milan and the Lakes : Mantova

Mantova

No one has rated this yet.

Rate it

Review this attraction

Are these details incorrect?

This town is known for its fine palaces, its masterpieces by Mantegna and Giulio Romano and its position surrounded on three sides by wide, shallow, swamp-edged lakes. These man-made lakes make the area humid in summer and rather damp and chilly in winter, creating a slight air of melancholy. The poet Virgil was born here in 70 BC. By 1328, the town had come under the rule of the Gonzagas, who held onto the reigns of power until the Austrians took over in 1708.

Top 10 Sights

1. Duomo

1. Duomo

Fire claimed the Gothic cathedral. The façade is late Baroque (1756), and the interior was designed by Giulio Romano in imitation of Paleochristian basilicas.
2. Palazzo Ducale

Highlights in the Gonzagas’ rambling fortress-palace include tapestries by Raphael and Mantegna’s Camera degli Sposi frescoes (1465–74).
3. Piazza Broletto

Just north of Piazza delle Erbe is this tiny square hemmed in by medieval buildings, including the 1227 broletto (town hall) and the Palazzo Bonacolsi.
4. Piazza delle Erbe

4. Piazza delle Erbe

Piazza delle Erbe is a wonderfully jumbled, lively urban space, lined by arcades, filled with a food market each morning, and ringed by a fascinating assemblage of buildings.
5. Basilica di Sant’Andrea

5. Basilica di Sant’Andrea

Lodovico Gonzaga commissioned this glorious basilica in 1470 from Leon Battista Alberti, its façade a highly original take on Classicism. Mantegna is buried in the first chapel on the left.
6. Rotonda di San Lorenzo

This rotund church is a relic from an earlier age, built in 1082 and retaining scraps of medieval fresco in its otherwise pleasantly bare brick interior.
7. Teatro Scientifico Bibena

This jewel-box of a late Baroque theatre is named after the architect who designed it, and was inaugurated in 1770 with a concert by Mozart, then a 13-year-old prodigy.
8. Palazzo d’Arco

A Neo-Classically remodelled palazzo from the Renaissance, this includes the 1520 Sala del Zodiaco, frescoed with astrological signs, in an original 15th-century wing.
9. Casa di Mantegna

9. Casa di Mantegna

Mantova’s most famous artist, Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506), custom-built this house-and-studio in 1466–74. It includes a circular courtyard and a portrait of himself by his fellow-artist and friend Titian.
10. Palazzo Te

10. Palazzo Te

Giulio Romano’s Mannerist masterpiece is an ingenious interplay of spacious courts, sweeping building wings and discreet gardens. Built in 1525, it was frescoed largely by Romano.

Practical Information

Meander like a true Mantovano: hire a bicycle from La Rigola, on Lungolago dei Gonzaga. Caffè Miró is on the tiny piazza in front of Sant’Andrea (see Shops, Cafés and Nightspots in Smaller Lakes and Towns and Places to Eat in Smaller Lakes and Towns). Tourist info: Piazza Mantegna 6 0376-328-253 www.aptmantova.it Duomo 7:30am–noon, 3–7pm daily; free Palazzo Ducale 8:45am– 7:15pm Tue–Sun; adm €6.50 Sant’Andrea 7:30am– noon, 3–7pm daily; free Rotonda 10am–noon, 3–5pm daily; donation Teatro 9:30am–12:30pm, 5–6pm Tue–Sun adm €2 Palazzo d’Arco 10am–12:30pm, 2:30–5:30pm Tue–Sun; adm €3 Casa di Mantegna 10am–12:30pm Mon–Fri & 3–6pm Tue–Sun; free Palazzo Te 9am–6pm Tue–Sun, 1–6pm Mon; adm €8

Reviews

Altea

I was really delighted to read the information about Mantova, which is my town. I'm Italian and I live at Mantova. This small town is very interesting by the artistic and cultural point of view. In these period, there are some interesting cultural exhibitions to see, and I think tourists and visitors might be interested in them. For example at the Palazzo Te you can see the "Gonzaga Cameo" (from 12th October 2008 to 11th Janaury 2009) Of exceptionally high artistic quality, it is a large piece with a double portrait of an imperial couple. On loan from the State Hermitage Museumm of St. Petersburg, the cameo came back to Mantova after 400 years to take its place as the centerpiece of the exhibition. For more information: www.cammeogonzaga.it Another important exhibition is held at Mantegna's Home, and another part of it at Polirone Abbey at San Benedetto Po. "Matilda of Canossa, the Papacy and the Empire" History, art, and culture at the origins of the Romanesque. (from 31st August 2008 to 11th January 2009) More information at: www.mostramatildedicanossa.it While at Palazzo Ducale you can admire "Bonacolsi L'antico" from 13th September 2008 to 6th January 2009. For more information: www.mantovaducale.benicultuarali.it I hope these information may be useful for people interested to visit Mantova. from Antonella (Altea) from Mantova

about 11 months ago

Write a review

If you were signed in, you could write a review here. Register for a free account, or if you're already a member, sign in.