PALAZZO DUCALE

The jewel in the city's crown, this imposing architectural complex is one of Italy's most important monuments. Comprising a number of different buildings, it is also one of 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 veritable citadel. The Magna Domus and Palazzo del Capitano form the core of the ^13th-century Corte Vecchia, while 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 houses a 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 tour begins with the oldest part of the palace, inhabited first by the Bonacolsi family and then by the Gonzagas until 1459, when they moved to Castello San Giorgio. The grand staircase of the Duchesses (^17th century) leads to the main floor. The first room features Domenico Morone's painting, La Cacciata dei Bonacolsi, depicting the triumph of the Gonzaga family over the previous lords of Mantua, as well as the medieval layout of Piazza Sordello, with the ancient Duomo and the façade of the Palazzo del Capitano.

Of imposing dimensions, the Sala del Pisanello houses 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 chivalric cycle, created for Jean-François de Gonzague, the figures illustrated allude to members of the Gonzague family. Pisanello's delicacy and refinement marvelously illustrate a courtly universe that has a fantastic ring to it.

The new gallery, decorated with altarpieces dating from the ^16th to ^18th centuries and created for various Mantuan churches, leads to the Salon des Archers. Of particular note here is Rubens' altarpiece The Gonzaga Family Adoring the Trinity. The Galleria degli Specchi follows; the mirrors only date from the ^18th century, because in Duke Vincent's time, the loggia was open. Through the Corridoio di 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, the Saletta dei Mori and the Sala dei Fiumi, which opens onto a beautiful hanging garden. Finally, the Salle des Tapisseries, adapted in the late ^18th century to house nine magnificent Brussels tapestries depicting episodes from the Acts of the Apostles, based on Raphael's preparatory drawings for the Sistine Chapel.

Isabella d'Este's apartments. Also in the Corte Vecchia, these apartments were created by this great Renaissance lady in 1519, on the death of her husband, Francesco II, Duke of Mantua. This part of the house 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 painters 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, or bride and groom's room, as marriages were recorded here. Painted between 1465 and 1474 by Andrea Mantegna, this limited-access room is a true masterpiece, not only for its remarkable pictorial mastery, but also for the quality of the subject represented: a scene from 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 setting, using vertiginous perspective and an incredible mastery of foreshortening. On the north wall, Duke Ludovico II turns to his secretary, while his wife Barbara faces the viewer. Gathered around the couple are children, courtiers and a mysterious dwarf. In the scene on the west wall, Duke Ludovico meets his son, Cardinal Francis, the first member of the family to hold such an important religious office. In the background, an ideal city of perfect monuments, perhaps Rome, a city much appreciated by the artist. Curiosity: Mantegna is said to 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'œil is theoculus in the ceiling: from up there, little lovers and servants gaze down on the room, lending a light-hearted tone to this 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. This is followed by the Galerie de la Mostra, one of the palace's largest rooms, designed to house Duke Vincent ^I's art collections. The artistic treasures of the Gonzagas, now scattered throughout the museums of Europe, were displayed here. From here, you can access the Galerie des Métamorphoses, Duke Vincent ^I 's cabinet of curiosities, 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.