Mantua: a city built on a peninsula of land on the banks of the Mincio River and the historic realm of the Gonzaga family. The immense power enjoyed by the Sovereigns of Mantua is immediately apparent as you enter the city's Piazza Sorbello, square dominated by Palazzo Ducale, one of the largest palaces in Europe. You could easily spend more than a day or two wandering through the palace's 500 rooms, admiring the incredibly ornate decorations and frescoes, which adorn its walls. This is where to find the Camera degli Sposi, home to Andrea Mantegna's magnificent illusionistic paintings.
On the opposite side of Piazza Corbello there is the Cathedral dedicated to St. Peter. Built on the site of an ancient Paleo-Christian house of worship, the cathedral has been modified on various occasions over the centuries, resulting in a quite unique assemblage of Romanesque, gothic and baroque architecture.
In Mantua's Piazza delle Erbe visitors find not only the famous fruit and vegetable market after which the square is named, but also Leon Battista Alberti's Basilica di Sant'Andrea, the late 11th century Rotonda di San Lorenzo and the Torre dell'Orologio. Another edifice well worthy of visit is the house designed by Mantegna. Although he had intended to live here himself, Mantegna occupied the building for an extremely short period: the house was so beautiful that Duke Francesco II Gonzaga decided to make it part of his own Palazzo di San Sebastiano.
Not far from their principal residence, the Gonzaga ordered the construction of their suburban villa, complete with immaculate lawns, spacious courtyards and graceful loggias. The sumptuous interiors of Palazzo Tè are decorated with stunning frescoes and decorative works.
From the small port of Grazie di Curtatone boats transport passengers along the Mincio river and through the Mincio Valley Nature Reserve. A true paradise for ornithologists, the area provides the natural habitat for dozens of species of birdlife.
The Gonzaga played a dominant role in Castiglione delle Stiviere's ever increasing fortunes. Although it was Ferrante Gonzaga who made this little town just a few kilometers from Mantua an important principality, it was his son Luigi, better known as Saint Aloysius, who ensured Castiglione received worldwide fame. The town's splendid baroque Basilica is dedicated to the saint. Castiglione has two museums: the Museo Aloisiano, documenting the life and times of Luigi Gonzaga, and the International Museum of the Red Cross, which recounts the history of the humanitarian organisation, founded here in Castiglione by Henry Duvant.
Another town in the immediate vicinity of Mantua, Sabbioneta was created by Vespasiano Gonzaga so as to provide the utopian city in which to transfer his court. From above, the town's six pointed star shape can clearly be seen. Within the high perimeter walls, we find the Teatro Olimpico, built in the form of a covered amphitheatre and adorned with statues of Pagan gods. The interiors of Vespasiano's two residences, Palazzo Ducale and Palazzo Giardino, are an indication of the prince's extravagant and decidedly eccentric nature.
