PALAZZO DUCALE

This imposing architectural complex is one of the most important Italian monuments. Composed of various buildings, it is also among the most majestic of its kind in Europe. Originally the residence of the Bonacolsi family, lords of Mantua from 1272 to 1328, the Palazzo Ducale was transformed by the Gonzagas into a real citadel. The Magna Domus and the Palazzo del Capitano form the core of the Corte Vecchia (13th century), while the Castello San Giorgio is a 14th century addition. Various buildings added by the Gonzagas in the 15th and 16th centuries make up the Corte Nuova. The interior contains a very rich collection of paintings, a reminder of the patronage of the dukes who made Mantua one of the most important capitals of the Italian Renaissance.

Corte Vecchia. The visit begins with the oldest part of the palace, inhabited first by the Bonacolsi and then by the Gonzagas until 1459, before they moved to Castello San Giorgio. The grand staircase of the Duchesses (17th century) leads to the main floor. In the first room, the painting by Domenico Morone, La Cacciata dei Bonacolsi, depicts the triumph of the Gonzagas over the family of the previous lords of Mantua; the medieval layout of Piazza Sordello with the ancient Duomo and the facade of the Palazzo del Capitano can also be seen.

The imposing Sala del Pisanello contains magnificent fragments of frescoes illustrating the gestures of the knights of the Round Table (1440) with Pisanello's characteristic lyricism and precision of line. In this chivalrous cycle, created for John Francis of Gonzaga, we can recognize allusions to members of the Gonzaga family among the characters illustrated. Pisanello's delicacy and refinement marvelously illustrate a courtly universe that has a fantastic quality.

The new gallery, decorated with altarpieces from the 16th to the 18th century made for the various churches in Mantua, leads to the Salon of the Archers. Here we notice the altarpiece by Rubens, The Gonzaga Family Adoring the Trinity. The Galleria degli Specchi follows; the mirrors date only from the 18th century, because in Duke Vincent's time the loggia was open. Through the Corridor of Santa Barbara, the Gonzagas had direct access to the Palatine Basilica of Santa Barbara without leaving the palace. The Corridoio dei Mori leads to the Loggetta di Santa Barbara, to the Saletta dei Mori and to the Sala dei Fiumi, which overlooks a beautiful hanging garden. Finally, the Sala dei Tapestrii, adapted at the end of the 18th century to house nine magnificent Brussels tapestries, representing episodes from the Acts of the Apostles after Raphael's preparatory drawings for the Sistine Chapel.

Apartments of Isabella d'Este. Also in the Corte Vecchia, these apartments were furnished by this great Renaissance lady in 1519, after the death of her husband Francis II, Duke of Mantua. This area was a veritable treasure chest, where Isabella kept her most precious objects. The pictorial decoration of her study, the Studiolo, a small room created by the great artists of the time, including Mantegna, Perugino and Lorenzo Costa, is now preserved in the Louvre.

Castello San Giorgio. This part of the palace, designed between 1395 and 1406, houses the most prestigious room, the Camera degli Sposi, known as the bride and groom's room, as marriages were recorded here. Painted between 1465 and 1474 by Andrea Mantegna, this room with limited access is a true masterpiece, not only for its remarkable pictorial mastery, but also for the quality of the subject represented: a scene of life at the Gonzaga court unfolds before the visitor in all its magnificence, thanks to its liveliness and refinement. Here the painter plays with the architecture of the place, using a dizzying perspective and an incredible mastery of shortcuts. On the north wall, Duke Ludovico II turns towards his secretary, while his wife Barbara looks out at the viewer. Around the couple are children, courtiers and a mysterious dwarf. In the scene on the west wall, Duke Ludovico is again shown meeting his son, Cardinal Francis, the first member of the family to hold such an important religious office. In the background is an ideal city with perfect monuments, perhaps Rome, a city much appreciated by the artist. Curiosity: Mantegna would have painted his self-portrait on the grotesque decoration interlaced on the false pillar that closes the scene on the left. The most extraordinary trompe l'oeil is theoculus in the ceiling: from up there, little lovers and servants look down on the room, giving a light tone to the whole solemn composition.

Corte Nuova. A beautiful grand staircase leads to the last section of the tour. Linger in the Trojan Apartments (rooms 19 to 21), built and decorated by Julius Romano between 1536 and 1539 for Duke Frederick II with scenes from the Iliad. Next is the Mostra Gallery, one of the largest rooms in the palace, intended to house the art collections of Duke Vincent I. The artistic treasures of the Gonzagas, now dispersed in museums throughout Europe, were displayed here. Finally, from here you can access the Gallery of the Metamorphoses, the cabinet of curiosities of Duke Vincent I and decorated by Antonio Maria Viani. The mummified body of Passerino (1308-1328), the last of the Bonacolsi family, was preserved here until the 17th century.