Rivarolo Mantovano - town centre

The totally Renaissance charm of this village is due to the work of Vespasiano Gonzaga, a young duke from nearby Sabbioneta, who had the entire historic centre transformed into a noble citadel. Surrounded on four sides by walls with impressive circular towers, the village is composed of an orthogonal network of streets only interrupted by the scenographic Finzi Square, surrounded by interesting historic buildings. The most important of these is the Palazzo del Podestà, at the centre of which rises the Sixteenth century tower, then, on the eastern side, the formerSynagogue, decorated by Eighteenth-century stuccoes, and Palazzo Penci, which has been extensively modified. To be noted is that in the areas adjacent to Porta Mantova we can find a historic reconstruction of a house and a small museum full of traditional objects.
Finally, walking along via Gonzaga we come to the late Gothic parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption with its intricately frescoed dome and some paintings by the maestros of Cremona of the XVI century.
The parish church houses an important Longobardic stele (VIII century) and is the corner-stone of the work of the Beato Sisto Locatelli, promoter of the Sacro Monte di Pietà.