Mantova has been chosen as the Italian capital of culture for 2016. A development opportunity for the city and, for tourists, the perfect moment to visit a jewel of the Renaissance.
It is Mantova that has been named the Italian capital of culture 2016; already a Unesco World Heritage Site, cradle of the Renaissance and seat of the Gonzaga court, the Lombard city beat out Aquileia, Como, Ercolano, Parma, Pisa, Pistoia, Spoleto, Taranto and Terni.
Beyond the prestige and the greater appeal it will hold for tourists, Mantova secures with this title one million euros to carry out the project it submitted, which focuses on a comprehensive reorganisation of the territory involving 14 municipalities and all their economic realities.
2016 will be the ideal year to visit the city, which has always offered culture, art, major events and fine cuisine. What should you see in a weekend in Mantova? Which are the unmissable stops?
A classic itinerary certainly includes Piazza Sordello, the hub of the city's artistic and political life, where some of the most important monumental buildings in the city are also found: the Ducal Palace, the Gonzaga residence in the 14th century and the largest court in Europe with its 70 apartments, 500 rooms and more than 15 internal courtyards and gardens; Palazzo Acerbi, which is topped by the Torre della Gabbia, a medieval tower standing more than 55 metres tall; and the Duomo, or Cathedral of San Pietro, which was built from 1395 onwards and features both a Gothic and Romanesque style.
Beyond Piazza Sordello lies the very heart of the historic centre, the ancient core of the city, where the Teatro Scientifico di Bibiena stands — a true late-Baroque masterpiece inaugurated with a concert by Mozart (just thirteen years old!) in 1769. In Piazza Erbe, the Torre dell'Orologio commands admiration, standing between the Palazzo della Ragione and the Rotonda di San Lorenzo.
In Piazza Mantegna, not to be missed is one of the most celebrated Renaissance churches: the Basilica di Sant'Andrea, designed in 1472 by Leon Battista Alberti at the behest of Ludovico II Gonzaga. The Basilica was completed 328 years later with the construction of Juvara's dome. Leon Battista Alberti also designed the Church of San Sebastiano, today used as a Famedio in honour of those who fell for their country. Nearby stands Palazzo Te, built between 1525 and 1534 by Giulio Romano on the commission of Federico II Gonzaga in honour of his mistress Isabella Boschetti.
There are many other lesser-known but equally wonderful gems, such as the church of Santa Maria del Gradaro and the Casa di Andrea Mantegna, whose defining feature is its circular courtyard: the building's unusual floor plan presents a circle set within a square, which seems to evoke the theory of squaring the circle and the oculus of the Camera degli Sposi.
Every time of year is the right one to visit the city's treasures: in September you can take advantage of the events of the Festivaletteratura, in autumn savour the excellent tortelli di zucca, and at the end of May attend the concerts of the Mantova Chamber Music Festival. Culture and much more besides.