Historical centre

It includes monuments of great interest: in Sordello square the Cathedral and the Bonacolsis palaces with the Tower of the Cage built in 1200; in Broletto square the medieval palaces called Arengo and Podestà with the Civic Tower; in Erbe square the Palazzo della Ragione with the tower of the Clock (1472) and the romanesque round church of San Lorenzo, built in 1072 for the countess Matilde di Canossa. The basilica of St. Andrea is one of the most beautiful churches of the Italian Renaissance, a masterpiece by architect Alberti.

Palazzo Ducale

It was built from the end of 1200 to late 1600. It’s a complex of buildings, galleries, courtyards, squares and gardens on a surface of 34.000 square metres, a sort of separate city in the heart of Mantova.
The visit offers a selection of the most important rooms: you will be amazed by the sketches and the fresco by Pisanello, the Apartment of duke Vincenzo with the Gallery of the Mirrors and the Room of the Archers, where the altar-panel of the “Holy Trinity” by Rubens is exhibited. Of great interest is also the Apartment of duke Guglielmo with the hanging garden and the rooms where the tapestries by Raphael are kept.

Castle of St George

It was erected between 1390 and 1406 by architect Bartolino da Novara, a great example of fortified medieval castle. Its building followed the most advanced dictates of the military architecture of the period. On the first floor you can visit the famous Bridal Chamber frescoed by A. Mantegna between 1465 and 1474.
This castle is also linked to the holy memories of the Italian Risorgimento because it was used as a maximum-security prison when Italy was under the Austrian rule.