Home » Discover Italy » Lombardy » Mantua
Mantua
The province of Mantua lies in the Po Valley and is dotted with small towns from the Renaissance period, jewels nestling in the landscape where a visit is a pleasure for the eyes and the palate.
There are various natural environments: the fine crown of morainic hills to the north and the vast flatlands to the south, through which rivers like the Mincio, on which Mantua stands, the Oglio and the Po run. The Mincio is Mantua’s primary river which gives the provincial capital its unmistakable layout, surrounded by three lakes that make Mantua resemble a small inland Venice.
Palaces, lordly villas, parks and towns built in accordance with the Renaissance ideal of architectural harmony. There are many interesting tours of the provincial capital, a treasure trove in the centre of the plan surrounded by lakes.
Mantua is one of the most fascinating cities in northern Italy for its artistic and historical heritage. It was dominated by the Gonzaga dynasty, which built a city that resembled a court of great splendour, which is today still reflected in the historic centre. The Palazzo Ducale is a real city palace with over 500 rooms, courtyards and gardens. The Palazzo del Capitano overlooks Piazza Sordello, which forms the centre of the city with the nearby Piazza Erbe which is reached through a series of arcades. Further along is the Palazzo della Ragione and the adjacent Palazzo del Podestà, the oldest public medieval building, standing alongside the Torre dell’Orologio. The renowned Cathedral is embodies various architectural styles with its Romanesque bell and neoclassical facade, while the Basilica of S. Andrea, designed by Leon Battista Alberti, is home to the tomb of Andrea Mantenga. In the eastern part of the city the Palazzo Te is well worth seeing a grand, treasured villa considered the most celebrated building by the architect Giulio Romano, and boasting great artworks.
No visit to Mantua would be complete without a tour of the town of Sabbioneta, a testament to the ideals of Vespasiano Gonzaga who wished to bequeath a cultural legacy of a “perfect” city. Surrounded by medieval walls, Sabbioneta’s points of greatest interest include the city’s great gates, the Imperiale and della Vittoria, the Antichi Gallery in Piazza Armi, the Teatro Olimpico, designed by Vincezzo Scamozzi and decorated with frescos byPaolo Veronese, but also the church of Santa Maria Assunta, the Palazzo Ducale and the Palazzo Giardino.
An tour of the most beautiful churches in the province would include the Gothic Cathedral of Asola, as well as Castiglione delle Stiviere, Ostiglia, the Roman town where the historian, Vittorio Nepote, was born, Cavriana, Pieve di Coriano, Medole, where the remains of Tiziano are kept, San Benedetto del Po with the Abbey, rebuilt by Giulio Romano.
Revere and Castel Goffedo preserve the ruins of the Gonzaga residence. Marmirolo is famous for its hunting lodge of the Bosco della Fortuna.
Finally, for the children, there is the toy museum in Canneto sull’Orglio, regarded as a veritable Toyland. The museum, which is located in a 19th century Palazzo, has more than a thousand items on display, including dolls and games, collected from the beginning of the 19th century down to our day.
Reserves, parks and lakes. The province of Mantua is a succession of characteristic peaceful valley landscapes between the Mincio and Po rivers. The most important park is the Mincio, which encompasses the nature reserves of Valli del Mincio, Castellaro Lagusello, Bosco Fontana and Bertone park, where you can take a bike trip and enjoy the pleasures of nature far from the daily routine. Greenline Park is situated on the right bank of the upper lake of Mantua, while the nature park of Oglio Sud encompasses several nature reserves including Le Bine, Torbiere di Marcaria and the mortlakes di Runate.
If the plain offers pleasurable trips on a bicycle, it’s much harder work in the glacial hills, which is reached by a cycle track that also goes to Peschiera. The tourist cycle track that runs between Mantua and Garda is extremely beautiful in landscape and surrounding nature, but also from a historical and cultural point of view.
If the culture, fine dining and small centres encourage visitors to relax, the verdant nature and abundance of lakes and stretches of water, make the province of Mantua ideal for many outdoors sports. The network of cycle tracks is widespread and there are motocross tracks and places to hire canoes and kayaks.
The produce and gastronomy are treasures of this land, famous for fish as well as agricultural produce.
The culinary tradition goes back to the age of the Estense rule. The main ingredients are rice and pumpkin. Polenta , less common than in surrounding areas, is often served as a starter together with gras pista`, a scented lard. The most common fish are catfish, trout and pike. The most common meat recipes are stews, boiled meats, roast beef, chicken and game. Omelettes are often made with fried fish or small, freshwater shrimps. The Mantuan salami is typical, made with pork fat, with Cotechino (fresh sausage meat), with vanilla, salami with tongue, and belly ham.
DOP cheeses are Grana Padano, Parmiggiano Reggiano and Provolone Valpadana as well as Ricotta, and Stracchino.
Sbrisolona is the typical Mantuan dessert famous all over Italy, made from sugar and almonds. Mustard is also typical of this area and is served with main courses, especially meat. The agricultural produce often features at special shows and food festivals.
In the heart of the Po Valley, the Province of Lodi is agricultural land dotted with a fascinating array castles and shrines. The plain is gentle and even, interrupted here and there with stretches of water. The land was formed by the floodwaters of the river Adda. The Lodi plain is fertile with ...
Surprising and wonderful in its diversity, this region of central Italy, with its harmonious and winding shape, displays its beauty on all sides: cliffs and caves overlook unforgettable beaches, hills steeped in history, tradition and culture, against a backdrop of mountains with well-equipped ...
Matera is one of the two provinces of Basilicata. Overlooking the Ionian sea to the East, it borders with the Apulia region to the North (provinces of Bari and Taranto), with the province of Potenza to the west and with Calabria (province of Cosenza) to the south. It is divided ...
Precious sea areas, not far from the mountains and from natural paradisiac oases. The province of Crotone is relatively young, founded in 1992 by separating part of the territory formerly included in the province of Catanzaro, now bordering on South-West, while the province of Cosenza ...
Italy, a land of lakes Italy has many lakes; in fact, there are over a thousand , renowned for their incomparable beauty and each is characterized by distinct features. Lakes Garda, Maggiore, and Como, now well-known throughout the world, have become ideal destinations for spending ...
Let’s go to Mantova for a very special trip to visit one the most unique and charming Renaissance mansions. Built by Frederic II Gonzaga as a palace of delights far from the official character of Palazzo Ducale, Palazzo Te was the ideal place to hold sumptuous receptions together with his lover, ...
The principal street that climbs almost straight from the Basilica to the town centre, amidst medieval houses and noble palaces, is Via San Francesco. Narrow winding streets, often staired, leave the main street. In Piazza del Comune, an ancient Roman forum, harmoniously integrated with the rocky ...
The bulk of the San Giorgio castle stands before the navigable lakes of the Mincio, which surround Mantua on three sides. A fine example of a medieval urban castle, it has a moat, four corner towers and three entrances with drawbridges. In the castle is the famous Camera degli Sposi, the bridal ...
Leaving the upper town we follow the cobbled roads of Parco dei Colli, which covers an area of 4700 hectares. From the historical town centre to the foot of Monte Alto, the landscape of the park harmoniously blends the villas and the historical buildings with glimpses of the hills and the ...
We are standing in the Sala dei Giganti (the hall of the giants) in Palazzo Te in Mantua, a wonderful sixteenth-century example of continuous fresco on the walls and the ceiling, the work of Giulio Romano. As we move through the rooms we can admire unique Renaissance masterpieces.
