Sprawling across more than 35,000 square metres, the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua is a magnificent complex built from the 14th century onwards at the behest of Mantua’s ruling lords. It houses apartments, courtyards, gardens, churches and arcades within its walls. From 1308, the Palazzo Ducale served as the official court of various members of the Gonzaga family, who over the years assumed the titles first of marquises and then dukes of the city.
In fact, the Bonacolsi family had already established a residence in this territory and held the lordship of Mantua until the early 14th century, before being supplanted by the Gonzagas. It was the Gonzagas themselves who carried out the principal works of enlargement and summoned important artists of the era to court to embellish the palace rooms.
Over time, almost every descendant of the Gonzaga family undertook extensions or renovations to the site to accommodate their own family, artworks and entourage. Despite being modified until the 18th century, the Palazzo Ducale has managed to preserve several rooms from the Gonzaga period and numerous artworks from that era. Other artistic creations, however, were lost or sold when the family fell from grace and was forced to liquidate its most valuable possessions.
The site now presents itself as a truly magnificent complex comprising the Corte Vecchia and Corte Nuova, which house more than 500 rooms, 7 gardens and 8 courtyards. Today, the Palazzo Ducale is an essential stop not only for all tourists visiting Mantua, but also for those wishing to gain deeper insight into an important chapter of Italian history.
The oldest nucleus is formed by the Corte Vecchia, which contains the Palazzo del Capitano, the Magna Domus and other smaller buildings. Towards the end of the 14th century, Francesco I Gonzaga ordered significant expansion works that saw the construction of the Domus Nuova to house the Ducal Apartments and other minor buildings; subsequently, the Castello di San Giorgio, where Andrea Mantegna created the famous Camera degli Sposi, the Corte Nuova (facing the lake) and the Basilica Palatina di Santa Barbara were added to this area.
In the years following the Gonzagas’ fall, the complex assumed the role of Royal Palace during Austrian rule, though over time it took on an increasingly military function and eventually served as a prison. Only following annexation to the Kingdom of Italy was the Palazzo Ducale declared National Heritage and converted into a museum.
The oldest building in the Palazzo Ducale is considered the Palazzo del Capitano, built towards the end of the 13th century by Guido Bonacolsi in the Corte Vecchia area. Regarded as the oldest nucleus to survive to the present day, the building was modified in the 14th century with the addition of a storey and its union with the Magna Domus. On the second floor, an space known as the Salone della Dieta was created at that time, as this is where it was decided to host the Diet of Mantua in 1459.
The palace served as a residence for the Gonzagas until the mid-15th century, when the marquis Ludovico III Gonzaga decided to move to the Castello di San Giorgio, leaving the Palazzo del Capitano as a residence for the court. At the Palazzo del Capitano, you can still admire rooms decorated with highly prized works and frescoes executed between the 13th and 14th centuries.
Around 1520, following the death of Francesco II Gonzaga, his wife Isabella d’Este decided to move her apartment from the Castello di San Giorgio to the Corte Vecchia, which consequently experienced a period of rediscovery and renewed splendour. Her apartment comprised several rooms, but two are certainly the most striking: the Studiolo and the Grotta, which were elegantly decorated and furnished with paintings commissioned from celebrated artists such as Mantegna, Lorenzo Costa the Elder, Perugino and Correggio. Other important areas of Isabella’s apartment include the “Camera Granda” or “Scalcheria” frescoed by Lorenzo Leonbruno, the “Santa Croce” area dedicated to reception rooms, and the Secret Garden (hortus conclusus), created in 1522.
The Tapestry Apartment comprises four halls housing nine tapestries purchased in Flanders in the mid-16th century by Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga. Hand-woven on cartoons with preparatory drawings by Raffaello Sanzio, the tapestries were intended to furnish the space then known as the “Green Apartment”. Upon the cardinal’s death, his nephew Guglielmo decided to hang the tapestries in the Basilica Palatina di Santa Barbara, where they remained for two centuries. With the arrival of the Austrians, the tapestries were largely moved to other residences, lost or given away; only in the 20th century were some of them recovered and placed in this area.
The Domus Nova was built towards the end of the 15th century by Luca Fancelli but underwent various restoration works over the years that modified the original building. This wing is worth visiting chiefly for the Ducal Apartment, commissioned by Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga around 1580, which features well-decorated ceilings and finely furnished rooms. Inside there are several halls that house paintings from suppressed churches and monasteries, the most famous of which is “The Trinity Adored by the Gonzaga Family”, a work by Pietro Paolo Rubens.
The Corte Nuova was commissioned by Federico II Gonzaga, who in 1536 engaged architect Giulio Romano for the work, later succeeded by Bertani. One of the principal rooms is the Apartment of the Rustica, which features seven elegantly decorated rooms and was designed as a residence for illustrious guests at the Mantuan court. Also worth noting is the Sala di Manto with frescoes depicting the story of the city’s founding with the arrival of Manto, daughter of the seer Tiresias and a legendary sorceress. Another important space is the Metamorphosis Apartment, which once housed the Gonzaga family’s rich library and whose ceiling boasts decorations inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
In 1562, Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga commissioned architect Giovan Battista Bertani to build a basilica where court liturgical ceremonies could be held. This gave rise to the Basilica Palatina di Santa Barbara, which was rebuilt several times with a most distinctive architectural structure and interiors enriched with canvases by important local artists. The building’s crowning glory, however, is the precious Antegnati organ, built in 1565 by master organ builder Graziadio Antegnati. The basilica is considered a pantheon of the Gonzaga family, as Guglielmo Gonzaga and other family members were buried here.
The Castello di San Giorgio was commissioned towards the end of the 14th century by Francesco I Gonzaga, who entrusted the project to architect Bartolino da Novara. The fortress is a square-plan building with four corner towers and is surrounded by a moat with three drawbridges. Initially built for defensive purposes, the manor later became the official seat of the court and reached its greatest splendour under Isabella d’Este, wife of Francesco II Gonzaga. Isabella brought numerous artists of the age to court, including Andrea Mantegna, Perugino, Leonardo da Vinci, Ludovico Ariosto and Baldassarre Castiglione, making Mantua an important artistic and literary centre.
It is here that one of the most celebrated works by Andrea Mantegna is located, known as the Camera Picta or Camera degli Sposi, situated on the noble floor of the north-east tower of the castle. The room is completely frescoed with scenes considered a celebration of the family of Ludovico II Gonzaga, executed on the occasion of his son Francesco’s election as cardinal. Despite the name “Camera degli Sposi“, the room was used primarily for storing documents or as a reception study. Unfortunately, in the 19th century the Castello lost its role as a court residence, and from 1815 onwards, following the Austrian occupation of the city, the fortress was converted into a high-security prison where numerous opponents were held.
The Palazzo Ducale in Mantua is located in the historic city centre and is easily accessible on foot by following signs to Piazza Sordello, where the entrance to the site is situated. Mantua is easily reached by car and also by train from Verona (45 minutes), Modena (55 minutes) and Milan (2 hours and 15 minutes). The railway station is not far from the historic centre and is connected to it by various bus lines.
The Ducal Palace of Mantua is located in the heart of the city, not far from other sites of great interest such as Mantua Cathedral, Palazzo della Ragione and Palazzo dei Podestà.
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