The thousand faces of Mantua

Artistico e Culturale

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Artistico e Culturale

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Mantua is a very ancient town: it has got Etruscan origins, but it flourished in the age of the Communes and, above all, during the long Gonzaga seigniory (1328-1707). The Commune and the short seigniory of Bonacolsi family left important buildings, such as Palazzo Bonacolsi, Palazzo del Podestà, Palazzo della Ragione, and churches such as San Lorenzo rotunda and Santa Maria del Gradaro.
Palazzo Ducale – the Ducal Palace - is the main sign of the Gonzaga seigniory: it is one of the largest  Italian palaces, counting about 500 rooms and several internal squares, courtyards and gardens. 
Here you can admire architectures, such as San Giorgio castle, Domus Nova  - by Luca Fancelli - and Santa Barbara palatine basilica – by G. B. Bertani -; but also magnificent frescoes series, such as in the Camera degli Sposi - which is the masterpiece of Andrea Mantegna -, in the Old Court – by Pisanello – and in the Appartamento di Troia  - by Giulio Romano. Not to miss the famous tapestries, whose cartoons were made by Raphael.
The other magnificent building left by the Gonzaga family in Mantua is Palazzo Te, which was built and frescoed by Giulio Romano (1525  to 1535): you will surely admire Sala dei Giganti, Amore e Psiche and Cavalli – the rooms illustrating the Fall of the Giants, the Tale of Love and Psyche and Gonzaga's horses.
Before  getting to Palazzo Te, you should not miss visiting the house of Andrea Mantegna, a cube with an inner round courtyard. Along the way, you may also stop at Palazzo di San Sebastiano, that was recently restored and today hosts the City Museum.
About churches, in late XV century Leon Battista Alberti designed the impressive Sant’Andrea basilica and San Sebastiano - which is today a monument to the dead -; still, the different architectural styles and the inner renovations by Giulio Romano make the cathedral very interesting.
Under the rule of Empress Maria Theresa new buildings enriched Mantua: the Episcopal Palace, Palazzo d'Arco and, above all, the Academy Theatre by Bibiena.

If you like modern architecture, you can appreciate the profile of Burgo paper factory – designed by P. L. Nervi – from the lakebanks just out of city centre.
You can comfortably visit Mantua on foot or by bike: several bikelanes and cycle tracks let you easily move in town and reach neighbouring places.

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Risorsaturistica San Pietro Cathedral (Dome), Mantua The Dome, dedicated to St Peter, became a cathedral in the 11C when it was rebuilt in Romanesque style. The church is the most representative monument of the city’s political, religious and cultural history. It is a remarkable palimpsest that bears the signs of the centuries, e.g. the Romanesque bell-tower on the right side showcasing the skill of the Dalle Masegne brothers (early 15C). In religious terms, as a cathedral this is the primary church of the diocese (housing the intact body of the patron saint Anselmo, bishop of Lucca). The interior with a nave and four aisles was designed by Giulio Romano. Do not miss the beautiful illustrated 4C sarcophagus, a series of 16C paintings, a cycle of Mannerist frescoes (transept, dome, apse) and the elegant 15C chapel where an image of the Coronation of the Virgin Mary is venerated.
Risorsaturistica Palazzo Te, Mantua Palazzo Te was formally inspired by the ancient rural villa, exploiting the horizontal views in a continuous dialogue between architecture and landscape. On the outside, from 1525 on, Giulio Romano created a design founded on the organisation of a giant order of Doric pilasters supporting a trabeation with architrave, frieze and metope. The low mansion block, with its rusticated external surfaces, is exalted by a courtyard of honour. Inside, Giulio Romano condensed his Raphael/Michelangelo painting culture into a creation of surprising figurative invention that formed the basis of Mannerism. Intense emotions await visitors on a rich and varied route: from the Sala dei Cavalli to the Camera di Psiche, the Camera degli Stucchi and the tumultuous Camera dei Giganti.
Risorsaturistica The house of Blessed Osanna Andreasi, Mantua This house is a rare example of a Renaissance Mantua home that has survived virtually intact. The building conserves the formal features of 1475, when it was acquired by Niccolò, father of the Blessed Osanna, and became the Andreasi family home. At that time, the house was redesigned in the manifest Fancelli style still visible on the facade, with its unfaced-brick basement, entrance surmounted by a round arch and three tiers of windows with typical 15C surrounds. Inside, valuable grotesques further enhance the whole.
Risorsaturistica Town museum – Palazzo San Sebastiano, Mantua The Gonzaga love of antiques and the great artistic culture of Mantua live on in the museum of the city in Palazzo San Sebastiano, once a suburban residence of Francesco II Gonzaga. This magnificent collection illustrates the splendours of the Gonzaga family, from Humanism to the Renaissance: statues, stone tablets, busts, ancient and Renaissance reliefs, paintings, detached frescoes, 17C copies of Mantegna’s Trionfi, coats-of-arms and fine architectural exhibits.
Risorsaturistica Clocktower, Mantua The construction of the Torre dell'Orologio began in 1470, under the direction of Luca Fancelli. Completed the following year, the tower was given the astrological/astronomical clock seen today and created by the mathematician Bartolomeo Manfredi. Those gazing at its splendid face can read the lunar phases and position of the sun in the signs of the zodiac - and draw the ensuing astrological conclusions.
Risorsaturistica Bibiena Academic Theatre Inside Palazzo dell'Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana, this is a gem of late-baroque theatre architecture. Works on Mantua’s scientific theatre commenced in 1767 and it was officially opened on 3 December 1769. The design by Antonio Galli Bibiena seems to draw on solutions of the Imperial age with a bell-shaped seating area and an arch connecting the two sides above the stage. Four tiers of boxes with small architectural balconies rise above a rusticated portico, reflecting the architectural model of the Bolognese theatre.
Risorsaturistica San Giorgio castle, Mantua In 1457, Marchese Ludovico II started to refurbish, modernise and render more hospitable and comfortable an old stronghold erected in the late 14C by Bartolino da Novara. The castle gradually became a splendid residence. Andrea Mantegna, Ludovico II and Luca Fancelli altered its military image, turning rooms that had previously served as military quarters into refined reception salons; the severe exterior was softened with mural decoration. On 16 June 1465, Andrea Mantegna also embarked on the task of leaving an undying memory of Ludovico II’s greatness on the interior and created the Camera Picta, also known as the Camera degli Sposi.
Risorsaturistica Former Church of St. Maria della Vittoria This church was built for Marchese Francesco II Gonzaga in 1495 as a votive offering following victory over the French troops of Charles VIII in the Battle of Fornovo. The simple International Gothic church facade features a terracotta frieze running beneath a cornice on the visible sides of the building. The interior decoration was, by contrast, inspired by Mantegna. The wall facing the entrance retains portions of a refined decoration in imitation Córdoba leather and this part of the church formerly housed the altarpiece of the Madonna della Vittoria, commissioned to Andrea Mantegna, now in the Louvre.
Risorsaturistica The house of Mantegna, Mantua This mini-architectural masterpiece dates from 18 October 1476, when the artist created a house that is consistent with his brilliance and great humanist culture. The painter created, ex novo and with total artistic freedom, a two-storey mansion with a square plan and, in the centre, a majestic round courtyard. His antiquarian culture inspired a concrete residential building with a central plan in the language of architectural humanism. Now owned by the Provincia di Mantova, it is a major modern and contemporary art exhibition venue.
Risorsaturistica Fire Brigade Historical Museum This fire-service museum is housed in Gonzaga palace buildings and is the only one of its kind in Italy. From all over the country, it has gathered exhibits that illustrate the technical development of operational equipment used by the fire service from 18C to 20C. These range from an 18C hand pump to a bicycle equipped with a fire hose, a helicopter and the latest-generation fire engines, plus uniforms, archive documents and photographs.
Risorsaturistica Ducal Palace, Mantua Construction work commenced in the late 13C, with additions being made over the centuries until 1707. The Gonzaga palace extends over 35,000m², a city in palace form. The most fascinating aspect today is the extraordinarily sophisticated decoration of the building and the exceptional beauty of the diverse nuclei that make up the Palace: courtyards, loggias, roof gardens, palatine churches, oratories and even a castle create an architectural complex that is unique worldwide. From Andrea Mantegna’s Camera Picta to the Raphael tapestries, the Sala del Pisanello, works by Giulio Romano, Luca Fancelli’s Domus Nova and Rubens’ Adoration of the Holy Trinity, visitors are astounded by the immensity of a palace and aesthetic heritage that is one of the finest manifestations of the Italian seignioria culture, in a harmonious coming together of art and architecture.
Risorsaturistica Palazzo d’Arco, Mantua This is the former residence of Count d'Arco. The appearance of the mansion and its imposing facade date from the late 18C and a Neoclassical intervention by Antonio Colonna. As we are reminded by a tablet in the lobby, Giovanna dei Conti d'Arco signed an illuminated will and testament dictating that the whole Palazzo, complete with its furnishings and collections, should become a public museum, benefiting the city and its culture. Today, visitors can experience the 18C-19C charm of this noble residence and admire a rich picture gallery featuring paintings by Rubens, Van Dyke, Luini, Sodoma, Bazzani and Magnasco. Beyond the exedra and past the courtyard of honour, the Sala dello Zodiaco, frescoed by Falconetto in the early 16C, is open to visitors.
Risorsaturistica National Archaeological Museum Mantua’s archaeology museum is in the former Mercato dei Bozzoli, on the west side of Piazza Castello, in a building that housed the Gonzaga court theatre until the 19C. The museum contains collections of materials dating from different historical periods (Neolithic, Bronze Age, Middle Ages and Renaissance). The collection arrangement is in both chronological and topographical order, along an exhibition route that accompanies visitors from prehistory to the Roman age, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The array of exhibits includes the so-called ‘Amanti di Valdaro’, a pair of skeletons buried in an embrace 6,000 years ago.
Risorsaturistica 'Francesco Gonzaga' Diocesan Museum, Mantua The diocesan museum of religious art was opened in 1983 and has quickly become one of the city’s most prestigious structures thanks to the beauty and value of its treasures. Some are unrivalled worldwide and have bought it international standing. The numerous works on display in its huge spaces – from sculptures to paintings, tapestries, goldsmithery, enamels, ceramics, armour and illustrated manuscripts – are fundamental testimony to the vitality of art and faith that distinguishes not only the diocese but the entire area around Mantua.
Risorsaturistica National Virgilian Academy The Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana (established by a 1768 edict of Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria) is housed in a mansion restored by the Neoclassical architect Paolo Pozzo and further enhanced by Antonio Galli da Bibiena’s splendid theatre, inaugurated in 1769. The academy is a major cultural presence in the city and places its rich artistic and book heritage at the disposal of scholars and researchers. It is also an active publishing house, circulating the results of studies and research conducted on its premises worldwide.
Tematerritoriale Mantova "... This is a beautiful town and is worth a visit ..." Torquato Tasso (1586). From 7 July 2008, Mantua has become UNESCO cultural heritage.