Mantua in a weekend
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Discovering Mantua: 48 hours to experience the magnificent city of the Gonzaga family, a Unesco heritage site with an unmistakable skyline.
Palazzo Ducale
Ducal Palace certainly dominates Mantua's unmistakable skyline. The great patronage of the Gonzaga family attracted to the city the greatest artists of the time, who left their mark on the walls and soul of the place. Andrea Mantegna, perhaps the best and most requested artist, was called upon by Ludovico II to paint works that include a fresco in honour of his dynasty. After nine years, the artist unveiled his masterpiece, the most famous oculus of 15th century art: the "Bridal Chamber". At the height of the communal era, Mantua was enhanced with buildings and works that are still striking today for their beauty and perfection: the 'Palazzo della Ragione', the 'Palazzo del Podestà', the ancient 'Rotunda di San Lorenzo' and the astronomical clock in the Tower. In September, the city comes alive for "Festivaletteratura", which has been welcoming writers from all over the world for the past 20 years, with hundreds of readings in squares, theatres and palaces.
Palazzo Te and the Bibiena Scientific Theatre
Palazzo Te just outside the city gates, away from the seats of power, was the leisure villa of Federico II Gonzaga. Designed by Giulio Romano, the building overlooks the greenery and with its special effects, outlines the dreams, obsessions and loves of a patron with a chaotic life story. Spectacular frescoed rooms, such as the "Hall of Giants", host a rich calendar of international exhibitions. Another Mantuan excellence is, of course, the astonishing Bibiena Scientific Theatre. Built by the architect Antonio Galli Bibiena in just two years, between 1767 and 1769, with its frescoes, it is a small late-Baroque masterpiece. Now a venue for concerts and literary gatherings, it astounded even the Mozarts, father and son, when they performed there a few months after its inauguration.
Food and wine
Aristocrats, artists and power certainly also enhanced the flourishing local gastronomic tradition. Alongside the poor dishes of rural and popular culture, such as sbrisolona, a mixture of flour and almonds eaten with yours hands according to an ancient tradition, we find pumpkin tortelli paired with mostarda and amaretti from the Gonzaga Court, and Elvezia cake, made with almond paste and zabaglione, created by pastry chefs from the Canton of Graubünden, who immigrated at the end of the 18th century.
