If you enter Mantova - Mantua from the north-east, across the bridge over the misty waters thatÌýsurround it on three sides, the city seems to float like a golden mirage. With its high brick walls, cupolas,Ìýtowers, miradors, loggias and red-tiled roofs, it is more like aÌýRenaissance architectural fantasy than a living city of the 21st century.ÌýAlmost an island, and still protected in part by high walls, it may beÌýhot and humid in summer, cold and foggy in winter, but that moodiness makes it one of the most romantic cities in northern Italy.
As you walk along Mantua’s narrow cobbled streets and arcades,Ìýunder arches and into dead-ends, you will discover grand palacesÌýand churches, hidden squares, internal courtyards, statues in niches; and other small architectural details. No wonder it was onceÌýdescribed by the courtier, Castiglioni, as ‘a city in the form of aÌý±è²¹±ô²¹³¦±ð’!
Indeed, it’s difficult to tell where the palaces end and the rest of the city begins.ÌýEven the biggest square, Piazza Sordello, was originally part of the Palazzo Ducale.ÌýMost of its spectacular monuments were built mainly in the 15th andÌý16th centuries under the patronage of one ruling family: the Gonzagas.
Founded by the Etruscans and named after an Etruscan divinity,ÌýMantua’s first claim to fame was as the home of the poet Virgil, bornÌýnearby in 70BC. His benevolent statue sits in a niche on the PalazzoÌýdel Podestà in Piazza del Broletto. It seems to have acquired theÌýstatus of a saint or a magician.
Later, the city fell under the control of the Canossa (whose palaceÌýin Piazza Canossa is guarded by attractive stone dogs) and thenÌýBonacolsi families, both of which left several attractive buildings,Ìýbefore the Gonzaga family (famous as horse breeders and merchants)Ìýgained control after a bloody revolt in 1328.
The rise and fall of the house of Gonzaga is a classic tale. LikeÌýmany nouveaux riches, the Gonzagas built magnificent palaces,Ìýemployed the most famous artists of the times (from PisanelloÌýto Mantegna, Giulio Romano to Tintoretto and Rubens), gotÌýeducated, married well and rewrote their own family history!
But as the money began to run out, their successors started toÌýsell their art collections to pay the bills. After the city was sackedÌýby soldiers of the Holy Roman Emperor in 1630 and was thenÌýravaged by the plague, the city went into further cultural andÌýeconomic decline. The last Duke of Gonzaga eventually fled and,Ìýin 1707, Mantua fell to Austria, which more or less maintained control until the city became part of a united Italy in 1866.ÌýApart from the odd moment, such as Mozart’s performance at the ageÌýof 13 in the charming 18th century Teatro Scientifico in 1769; andÌýVerdi’s choice of Mantua as the setting of his opera Rigoletto, itÌýhas been a wealthy little backwater ever since.
At their best, the Gonzagas and their wives (notably IsabellaÌýd’Este) were phenomenal patrons, providing an environment inÌýwhich artists like Mantegna and Giulio Romano produced theirÌýfinest work. At their worst, they were megalomaniacs. Their majorÌýlegacies are the Palazzo Ducale and the Palazzo Te, at opposite ends of the town and spectrum.
History
You need every ounce of energy to attack the Palazzo Ducale, aÌýlabyrinthine 3-D realisation of an Escher print, which extends overÌýseveral buildings (incorporating the earlier Palazzo del CapitanoÌýbuilt by the unfortunate Bonacolsi and the fortified Castello di SanÌýGiorgio), with 15 courtyards, squares and gardens, covering a totalÌýarea of 34,000 square metres. You have to take a guided tour, partlyÌýbecause of security problems, but also because you’d get lost otherwise.
The guides rattle off statistics and facts at you like machine gunsÌýas they race you through some of the 500-odd rooms. Most of theÌýmoveable contents were sold or sacked centuries ago, but treasuresÌýinclude fragments of a magnificent Pisanello fresco, depicting battleÌýscenes from the Arthurian legends; tapestries woven according toÌýdesigns by Raphael; and paintings by Tintoretto and Rubens. HorsesÌýand chariots race across one ceiling, while zodiac signs decorate another. In one room, a frieze shows parts of horses covered by trompe l’oeilÌýcurtains. Apparently, a party trick was to be able to recognize the name of a horse from its body parts. There were hiddenÌýpassages and doors; and even miniature apartments once thought to have been used to house the family’s much-loved dwarves.
But nothing prepares you for the highlight, approached via a spiralÌýstone ramp (built for horses). TheÌýCamera degli Sposi was a meetingÌýroom painted by Mantegna from 1465-74 for Ludovico II GonzagaÌýand his wife Barbara di Brandenburg. The whole room is covered in courtly scenes while people, angels and putti look down from a trompe l’oeil balcony in a blue sky.
Time for Te
After such an onslaught of culture, it must be time to eat and relax.ÌýAll the local palace employees head for one of the local trattorie with outdoor tables in summer and cosy rooms inside inÌýwinter, join them and drink lambrusco wine in ceramic bowls while tastingÌýlocal specialities such asÌýluccio in salsa con polentaÌý(fresh water pikeÌýin a sweet/sour sauce).
If the Palazzo Ducale is the result of centuries of additions andÌýadaptations, with a heavy emphasis on power, the Palazzo Te couldÌýnot be more different, created on the outskirts of the city onÌýreclaimed marshland as a pleasure palace for horse-riding andÌýsummer entertainment. It was built in under 10 years, from 1526-35,Ìýby Giulio Romano, a pupil of Raphael, for Federico II Gonzaga and has a lightness and frivolity that is like breath of fresh air. But itÌýturned out to be a suitable place both for Federico’s trysts with hisÌýmistress, Isabella Boschetti and for entertaining on a grand scale. ItÌýwas here that Federico received Emperor Charles V in 1530 andÌýobtained the longed-for title of Duke. High mannerist in design, theÌýpalace was as fashionable and bizarre as times would permit.
The building features elaborate architectural jokes and ‘ancient’Ìýgrottoes, but to wander through its rooms is to enter a fantasy world.ÌýVast portraits of Federico’s favourite horses decorate one room,Ìýwhile the adjoiningÌýCamera di PsicheÌý(Hall of Psyche) is covered inÌýextremely explicit erotic paintings from the Golden Ass by Apuleius.Ìý
Every room has something of interest, but the wildest and most fantastic of all is theÌýSala dei Giganti.ÌýThis beehive shaped room is covered in frescoes depictingÌýthe defeat of the Giants, who had besieged Olympus. Over theÌýchimneypiece Giulio depicted the Giants hurtling downwards soÌýthat, when the fire was lit, they seemed to be falling into it! The original floor was deliberately uneven to increase the sense of theÌývisitor’s disorientation.ÌýThe Palazzo Te has many other interesting rooms as well as a fineÌýarchaeological collection, but, after the Sala dei Giganti,Ìýeverything is an anticlimax and mental indigestion means that it’s time to explore other aspects of the city.
Exploring further
On the way back to the centre, you could stop for a coffee at CaffèÌýRoberta on the corner of Via XX Settembre and Via Pescherie. YouÌýwill be fortified by the coffee and the poem by Gabriele D’AnnunzioÌýover the bar:
Nero come la notte -ÌýBlack as the night
Amaro come il dolore -ÌýBitter as pain
Forte come la passione -ÌýStrong as passion
Bruciante come il desiderio -ÌýBurning as desire
If the literary aspect attracts you, then you must time your visit toÌýcoincide with the annual literary festival in September.ÌýThe Via Pescherie has a covered stone bridge over the Rio, the picturesque canal that once linked the Lago Superiore to the LagoÌýInferiore. There used to be lots of fishmongers along this street, butÌýnow there is just one, the Pescherie Lanfranchi. The Via PescherieÌýleads into the Via Orefici, which is full of interesting old-fashionedÌýpharmacies and food shops; and if you continue you will find yourself at the Piazza Concordia, at the backside of the lovely RotondaÌýof San Lorenzo, a Romanesque church with a circular ground plan,Ìýbuilt by Matilde di Canossa in the 11th century.
On the north side of the Rotonda lies the clock tower and theÌýPiazza Erbe, while to the west lies Piazza Mantegna, with the hugeÌýBasilica of San Andrea, designed by Alberti (but finished only years later with money raised through a lottery).ÌýThese twoÌýsquares are always full of life; and theÌýarcaded streets that fan out from PiazzaÌýMantegna are full of small boutiques andÌýspeciality shops, temptingÌýpasticcerieÌýand cafés.
To eat local specialities such asÌýravioli di zuccaÌý(pumpkinÌýravioli) in Piazza Erbe whileÌýwatching the food and flower market pack upÌýat lunchtime, is one of the great joys of visiting this city.
For dessert, crossÌýthe square to Pasticceria Caravatti and gorge on tortaÌýsbrisolona (a cross betweenÌýshortbread and crumble, made withÌýalmonds, sugar, butter and flour) orÌýelvezia (brought by theÌýAustrians and made with almonds, eggs, sugar, butter, rum and chocolate).
There are other palaces and churches of interest; andÌýwinter brings a series of concerts in the delightful TeatroÌýScientifico, but if you want to relax, then its time to go outÌýonto the water, for Mantua’s hinterlandÌýboasts the compelling beauty of the River Mincio, with its river side paths and protected natural park. You can take boat excursions from the docks on either side of the Via Legnago, but if you want a different experience, drive 12kms west ofÌýMantua to the weird and wonderful
Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine delle Grazie, full of strange votive offerings, from sculpted breasts to a stuffed crocodile.
Behind the church, a grassy slope leads down to the water, where, in August, you can take a boat trip out among the reeds to see the lotus flowers in bloom. Truly, it isÌýa magical way to end your stay!
