Things to Do in Mantua Lombardy Italy - Travel Guide & Information

This description page of Mantua in the Italian region of Lombardy Italy, will guide you in planning your trip to Italy and help you to find useful travel information about the Things to Do in this Italian Region.

Monuments and Museums

Palazzo Ducale

This is one of the largest and most impressive Renaissance residences, even if it does sport a relatively uninteresting façade. It is huge, with nearly 500 rooms in the three main buildings, and contains a vast array of impressive art. This was the former home of the Gonzagas who ruled Mantua during the glory years. The highlight for many tourists is Mantegn's Renaissance masterpiece, the frescoed walls of the Camera degli Sposi.

Palazzo Tè

Designed by Guilio Romano this was built around 1530 to house the mistress of Federico II Gonzaga, who was disliked by his mother. Maybe not surprisingly, it is located on the other side of town from the Palazzo Ducale. Among its highly decorated rooms is the very interesting Sala dei Giganti, “the giants’ room.” It is frescoed from floor to ceiling with the scene from Greek mythology where Zeus and the other gods are attacking the Titans with tremendous fury. The result is an spectacle of incredible chaos.

Chiesa di Sant’Andrea

In the Renaissance center of the city, in the Piazza Mantegna, the grand basilica of Sant’Andrea was designed by Alberti in 1472. It is based on a romanticized ideal of an Etruscan temple with a single nave, side chapels, a big dome, and an interesting façade that combines a temple and a Roman-inspired triumphal arch. The impressive exterior is matched by a nearly impressive interior.

Sabbioneta

Behind the massive city ramparts on the plain hide a conspicuous jewel, the town of Sabbioneta. It was rebuilt as a Renaissance showpiece by one of the minor members of the Gonzaga family, Vespiano Gonzago Colonna, beginning in 1556. This city was inspired by the architectural and planning principles of Alberti a century earlier. Sabbioneta was envisioned as a New Athens based on the humanistic ideals. Unfortunately, humanism was no longer in fashion once building commenced, and that the patron died without an heir made this town a backwater and a future museum city.

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