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Palazzo Ducale

Mantua’s Palazzo Ducale is one of the largest and most complex architectural projects in Italy and has been housing the town’s state museum since the early 20th century. It used to be home of the Gonzaga family who lived in this palace from 1328 to 1707. Palazzo Ducale was modified and enlarged over four centuries under the Gonzaga domination which extended over the city of Mantua and the nearby areas, bringing continuous stratifications and aggregations to the original core building built by the Bonacolsi family at the end of the 13th century.
Visits to Palazzo Ducale begin at the battlemented building Palazzo del Capitano (Captain Palace) with a painting representing the Expulsion of the Bonacolsi and the accession to power of the Gonzaga family, painted by the Veronese artist Domenico Morone for the marquis Francesco II. The visit is divided into three parts: the first part of the visit is the shortest and will take visitors to Corte Vecchia (Old Court), with the Sala del Pisanello (Pisanello Chamber); the second part of the visit also includes Corte Vecchia and then leads to the San Giorgio Castle with the Camera degli Sposi (Wedding Chamber); the third part of the visit is the most complete and unites Corte Vecchia and the Castle with Corte Nuova (New Court), where visitors can visit the Appartamento di Troia (Apartment of Troy). On Saturdays and Sundays, it is possible to visit other rooms of Palazzo Ducale that are usually closed to the public: visitors can be accompanied by guides and know more about the Apartment of Guglielmo in the Corte Vecchia, the Palazzo del Capitano, the Apartment of Isabella, the Castle’s Noble Floor, the Castle’s Large Apartment and the Estivale Building.

“Segni d’infanzia” utilises the places in which the didactic activity of the museum usually takes place, the ex “Refettorio di Guglielmo” (Refectory of Guglielmo) in “Santa Croce” church and, starting from 2008, the “Atrio degli Arcieri” (The Archers’ hall).

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Palazzo della Ragione

This building is part of the group of town houses built during the Middle Ages. This building complex was built around the 11-12th century to function as a public civil office and assigned to contain town meetings or, during bad weather, the local market, which was usually held in Piazza Erbe. The building went through major changes ever since the early 13th century. During the 15th century, the arcades were erected and in 1472 the clock tower designed by Luca Fancelli was built. One year later, the tower was enriched with a clock made by the mathematician and astrologist Bartolomeo Manfredi. The clock counted the hours of the day, the positions of the planets, sunsets, sun risings, sun signs, moon phases, the best days for bloodletting, sowing, travelling and other useful information. In the 18th century, upon a design by architect Doricilio Moscatelli, the 13th century triple-lancet windows were replaced by wider and brighter windows. During the first half of the 20th century, the building was taken to its original structure by the local architect Aldo Andreani, who eliminated the baroque additions.
For centuries it was used as the place where justice was administrated, then in 1997 it became a showroom for the prestigious exhibitions of the Mantua Civic Museum, displaying numerous and important art shows organised by the town administration authorities. In the large imposing hall, on the front walls, there are the remains of remarkable frescos depicting war episodes which date back to the end of the 12th century, together with sacred figures painted by the Parmesan artist Grisopolo dating back to the second half of the 13th century.

Palazzo San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian’s Palace)

The palace was built and decorated between 1506 and 1508 according to the will of Francesco II Gonzaga who resided there since 1512. The pride of “San Sebastiano” palace is the fact that in its first floor there has been the exhibition room of the nine paintings of Mantegna representing “I trionfi di Cesare” (Caesar’s triumphs) that are now kept in Hampton Court. The ground floor of the building was composed of the following four rooms: “la Camera del Sole” (The sun’s room), “la Camera del Crogiuolo” (The crucible’s room), “la Camera del Porcospino” (The porcupine’s room) or “la Camera dell'Arma del re di Francia” (The king of France Arm’s room) and “la Camera dell'Imperatore” (The Emperor’s room), which is not visible any more; in addition, an open loggia (today walled up) composed of seven arches supported by wonderful columns. After Francesco II’s death in 1619, the utilisation of the building was given to the cadets of Gonzaga’s family.
In this palace the future S. Luigi Gonzaga will cede his first-born to his brother Rodolfo. Afterwards, the palace will be utilised as barracks, quarantine station (during this period it underwent several modifications), public toilet, as the seat of a Scientific High School and of the School of Music. Then, its property will be given to the Municipality.
Completely restored, today “Palazzo San Sebastiano” is the prestigious seat of the City’s Museum: more than one hundred works having great historical and artistic value– statues, busts and ancient and renaissance reliefs, paintings of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, frescoes, herald coats of arms, architectonic finds – have the task to tell and represent the taste in Mantua between Humanism and Renaissance, the ideal events and the most important moments of the city’s history.

Palazzo del Podestà (Palace of a Podestà)

The shortest side of the “Palazzo del Podestà” closes “piazza delle Erbe” (Herbs’ square), its rear part looks out onto it and its main body is positioned on the close “piazza Broletto” (Broletto square).
The main structure of the palace is medieval and the year of its construction is 1227.
Mantua’s government has had its seat in the palace for several years.
At present, the “Palazzo del Podestà” is waiting for its restoration works to be started by Mantua’s municipality.
“Segni d’infanzia” utilises the places currently being part of “Gonzaga Point”, the information point in Mantua, which gives onto “Piazza Erbe”.

Palazzo Plenipotenziario

Situated in Piazza Sordello at No. 43, Palazzo Plenipotenziario (Plenipotentiary Offices) houses one of Mantua’s Province Administration headquarters. At the second floor there is a large room, used for lectures and workshops, that overlooks Piazza Sordello.

Ariston Theatre

Built in 1949, the Ariston Theatre (Teatro Ariston) stands along the central street of Via Principe Amedeo. It is a modern building with stalls and balconies. It also serves as a cinema and has a capacity of 800 seats. It is the home of Mantua’s drama season, it houses both classical and contemporary music concerts, conferences and several cultural events.

Born after World War II as a “Dopolavoro Ferroviario” (Railwaymen Leisure Club),

it was used for dance and roller-skating evenings. It was then turned into a cinema in the 70s until the building was declared unfit as a cinema in the late 80s. In 1994 it was assigned to the Company of Players "Teatro all'Improvviso" who still manages the theatre today and are engaged in the development of youth theatre activity, including the theatrical review for children called “L’Albero Incantato”. It has recently started to show movies again, thanks to the permanent support of the Association “Il cinema del carbone”, which has also contributed to make Teatreno a vital point for cultural research in Mantua.
Located in a convenient position, right in front of the city’s train station and only a few minutes from the town centre, it has a capacity of 140 seats.

Built between 1767 and 1769, the town’s 18th century jewel was designed by Parmesan architect Antonio Galli Bibiena who was assigned the project by count Carlo Ottavio di Colloredo, the dean of the Science Academy named “Accademia dei Timidi”.

The theatre’s primary purpose was to host academic meetings, but it also welcomed plays and concerts. The theatre has a bell-shaped surface and is arranged on several sets of wooden boxes, according to the architectural style invented in the 17th century and which was very popular at that time.
Thanks to the magnificent liveliness of his creativity, in only two years architect Bibiena fulfilled his obligations towards the Accademia dei Timidi which began in 1767: he created this special theatre, he supervised the works and finally, thanks to his additional painting skills, he personally frescoed the interiors of the many boxes with monochromatic figures, a precious evidence of the maestro’s outstanding artistic talent. The classical façade instead was painted by Giuseppe Piermarini who gives his name to the large hall on the theatre’s first floor.
The so-called “scientific” theatre was finally completed and open to the public on December 3rd 1769: it is considered a refined jewel for its balanced relation between movement and elegance and one of the most remarkable European architectural examples of the late 18th century. One month after its opening, on January 16th 1770, fourteen year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart arrived in Mantua to give his first Italian concerts and consecrated the legendary “Scientifico” performing in an unforgettable concert together with his father Leopold. Today, the theatre is still being used as a concert auditorium for music reviews, concerts and high-profile conferences.

Placed in San Leonardo square, the little theatre is managed by the homonymous parish.

The church is situated on the same square in the neighbourhood called Corno (Horn), so-called because it traces the shapes of a horn in the lake of Mezzo.
The church is a very ancient structure, it was one of the first churches founded in the town and it has been reconstructed about five times, the last one in 1795, year in which it took the actual aspect. The only parts that remains from the original structure are the bell tower with its terminal loggia composed by three arches sustained by slim columns of marble (XIIth century) and the ledge of the oratory made in terracotta. Inside, in San Gottardo Oratory there is a fresco attributed to Lorenzo Costa il Vecchio (Senior) that represent Christ on the Cross bleeding by the wound and with the apostles at his feet.

The “Sala delle Cappuccine” is inside the “Palazzo del Mago” (The Magician’s Palace), a building dating back to about 1280 that has its entrance in San Leonardo square. The palace takes its characteristic name from the time during which it used to be the friars’ place in which they used to study the vault of heaven, namely the constellations, as to fix the result of their studies into calendars, that have survived up to now. After having suffered pillages and fires, it has been restored and widened between 1786 and 1825 by Giuseppe II, the Emperor of Austria. Afterwards it became a military hospital: it is said that here an Austrian doctor carried out the first successful cardio-surgical intervention of the history.
Notwithstanding the different functions it covered, the Magician’s Palace is mainly remembered as a church and a nunnery of Capuchin nuns, from which the name of this wonderful room takes its origins. This room is often utilised for conventions, exhibitions, books presentations and other artistic-cultural events.

“Santa Maria della Vittoria”, consecrated in 1496, is a votive building carried out upon the request of Francesco II Gonzaga, IV Marquess of Mantua, in order to celebrate his victory against the king of France Charles VIII in the Battle of Fornovo (July 6th, 1495). Since 1499 “San Gerolamo” Eremitani friars took care of the little temple, to which a convent was annexed.

After French occupation during Napoleonic period and after following incorrect use, from 2001 “Amici di Palazzo Te e dei Musei Mantovani” cultural voluntary service association allowed “Santa Maria della Vittoria” to become the protagonist of an important restoration project. Today, it represents both a museum and a place suitable for meetings, concerts, temporary exhibitions, showing all its essential and rigorous beauty.
The outside of the small building presents a simple late-Gothic style similar to other sacred buildings’ characteristics in Mantua, such as “Santa Maria degli Angeli”, “Santa Maria delle Grazie” or the Sagrestia of Mantua Dome. The project of the building can be probably attributed to Bernardino Ghisolfo, “Superiore delle Fabbriche gonzaghesche” (Master mason of Gonzaga family) since 1490.
The inside of the building, with only one bay, preserves Renaissance decorations recalling Mantegna style. The illusion effect characterising the painting of the precious marbles and branched candlesticks in the room show indeed a close connection with Andrea Mantegna’s style.
The back wall still shows some parts of a refined tapestry made of an imitation of cordovan leather. Against the wall used to stand the magnificent “Madonna della Vittoria” altar-piece, the masterpiece painted by Mantegna in 1496, and now exhibited at the Louvre. The wooden ceiling of the bay, the opening of the windows and of the portal towards Fernelli street date back to late 1800s. Two small chapels open on left-side wall: one of them is frescoed with the scenes and symbols of the Passion, the other one is stuccoed.

The church of Sant’Andrea has been drawn by Leon Battista Alberti, who could not see the beginning of works due to his death in Rome on 1472, during the demolition of the preceding decaying church. Works started on June of the same year, directed by Luca Fancelli, apprentice assistant of Alberti.

The building process of this church has been long and difficult. It was hindered at first by the lack of funds, then by the innumerable wars fought in the town. After Fancelli’s death (1495), works began to start once again on Viani’s arrival in 1598 and stopped for almost one century before being re-started by Giuseppe Torre from Bologna in 1697. Torre made some modifications of Alberti’s project and dreamt about some Baroque transformations that luckily had never been carried out. Works stopped also between 1708 and 1732, the year during which the works of the cupola started. The cupola was drawn by Filippo Juvarra and was achieved in 1782. Paolo Pozzo, appointed Master of the “Accademia di Mantova”, made flourish again Alberti style in 1772, after the interventions of the preceding years and achieved the building process of the church after three hundred twenty-eight years.

The “Sala delle Capriate”, situated in the parish building unit bordering the “Basilica di Sant’Andrea”, takes its name from its structure that still presents the original capriate. The room that overlooks Piazza Leon Battista Alberti and is usually utilized for the parish’s activities will be the stage of the performances of Segni d’infanzia festival.

The Diocesan curia’s palace was built on the area of the ancient ‘palatium episcopatus’. On one of its wings used to lean the arc of “Vescovado” (Bishop’s palace); the area used to belong to the homonymous district and afterwards it has been dedicated to

Cairoli brothers.
In the current seminary area it used to stand San Paolo’s church, a temple built in 1594 by Fra’ Francesco Gonzaga, Bishop of Mantua and it was finally closed in 1776.
It has been bought by the Curia in 1822; a part of it was demolished in the following year, another part was suited to the utilization as Bishop’s palace.
Between 1825 and 1828, according to the drawings of Giovanni Battista Vergani, the Bishop’s palace has been restored; in particular, the front of the palace obtained the same straight-patterned structure as it appears today and to do this, it had been necessary to demolish the arc of “Vescovado”.

Created in 1997, a few steps far from Mantua’s city centre and close to Anconetta public parking, ARCI Papacqua cultural centre represents the biggest natural island in the urban area of Mantua.
Arci Papacqua cultural centre actively organises language courses, courses of oriental and occidental techniques and subjects, seminars and conferences aimed at promoting meditation and comparisons concerning environmental and human subjects.
Since 2001 many other activities have joined the centre, as their common aim is to give their contribution for a better and healthier world: the Cooperativa “L’Albero” (tree cooperative) dealing with natural food and “Mappamondo”, fair trade shop.
Also “Bio Bar” is part of Papacqua centre and it offers organic farming products to its consumers. This aims at promoting the culture of a balanced and healthy diet.

The “Loggia dei Mercanti” (the Merchants’ Loggia), is mainly known by Mantuan citizens as the “Loggia del Grano” (Loggia of the grain), probably due to the function it mainly covered in ancient times, i.e. a special warehouse for the grain coming from the countryside. It is part of “Palazzo Andreani”, which is the seat of the Chamber of Commerce in Mantua. Very close to “Piazza Erbe”, the Palace takes its name from the architect Aldo Andreani, who designed and realized it between 1912 and 1914 and it was part – from the urban point of view – of a general regeneration process both concerning economy and building industry that involved the whole city at that time.
Inaugurated on 1st October 1914, Palazzo Andreani has and gives a sense of greatness, since it offers a perfect combination between the basic ancient style and the oriental new style, then appreciated by the posterity. Eclectic fusion of architecture and painting, as well as symbol of the witty creative autonomy of architect Andreani, the new Palace of the Chamber of Commerce aimed at transferring the idea of a prestigious and refined market, opened both to the city and to the street.

Formerly known as “Prato di Castello” (Castle’s meadow), “Piazza Castello” is situated among the different parts of the “Reggia Gonzaghesca” (Gonzaga’s royal palace). On its three sides, it is delimited by elegant arcaded sidewalks of the last period of the sixteenth century, one of which borders with the “Corridoio di Santa Barbara” (Saint Barbara’s passage). The buildings surrounding it have been built between the first half of XVIth century and the first half of XVIIth century according to the will of Duke Ferdinando. Exactly positioned in the middle between “Palazzo Ducale” giving on the oriental part of “Piazza Sordello” and the “Castello di San Giorgio”, “Piazza Castello” is the widest open space inside “Palazzo Ducale”. The square can be reached both from “Piazza Sordello” passing through a vault positioned in front of the “Casa del Rigoletto” and from the passage through a series of suggestive squares: “Piazza Pallone”, “Piazza Paccagnini” and “Piazza Santa Barbara”.
During summer, “Piazza Castello” transforms into a big open-air arena, usual seat of shows and events.

Wide, charming and evocative, the square is dedicated to the poet of Manuta of the XIIIth century that has been mentioned by Dante

in its Divine Comedy: Sordello from Goito. Created in 1300 with the demolition of some ancient houses between two parallel roads, it became and remained during centuries the core of the politic life of Mantua.
The monuments surrounding the square belong to two different historical periods: the Late Middle Ages, represented by the palaces on the two sides of the square belonging to Bonacolsi and Gonzaga families’ period and 18th century represented by the façade of the Duomo (the Dome) and of the Bishop’s palace.
On the left side of the square (looking towards the Duomo) there are a series of embattled buildings, that used to belong to Bonacolsi family, presenting round arch windows with three lights (“Trifore”) and two portals.
On the other side stands Palazzo Ducale.

The name of this square takes its origin form the fact that it has always been the place in which fruit and vegetables’ market used to be and still is.

Its northern part is closed by the back of “Palazzo del Podestà”; “Palazzo della Ragione” and the clock tower (“Torre dell’orologio”) as well as the “Rotonda di San Lorenzo”, the most ancient church existing in Mantua, all overlook the square.
Its southern part is closed by the “Casa Di Boniforte” (also called the Merchant’s house - “Casa del Mercante”). Its construction in 1455 was carried out upon the request of a rich merchant from Brianza area - Giovanni Boniforte da Concorezzo. The precious façade of the building presents a mix of heterogeneous ornamental patterns; the arcaded sidewalk is supported by some robust Corinthian columns; The ”Torre del Salaro” (the salt man’s tower) stands close to the Merchant’s house (“Casa del Mercante”) and was built in the XIIIth century; afterwards, it has been utilized as a storage building for salt.