Explore Mantua

The Rotonda di San Lorenzo is the oldest church in Mantua, a round brick building from the late 11th century, traditionally linked to Matilda of Canossa. It stands about 1.5 m below Piazza delle Erbe. Closed in 1579 and later built over, it was restored and reconsecrated in the 20th century and keeps its women's gallery and medieval frescoes.

The Basilica of Sant'Andrea is a Renaissance church and co-cathedral on Piazza Mantegna in Mantua, begun in 1472 to designs by Leon Battista Alberti for Ludovico III Gonzaga beside a bell tower of 1414. Its façade takes the form of a Roman triumphal arch, the nave is covered by a vast barrel vault, and the dome was added in the 18th century.

The Teatro Bibiena, also called Teatro Scientifico, is an 18th-century theatre in Mantua designed by Antonio Galli Bibiena and opened in 1769 for the city's academy. Its bell-shaped hall has four tiers of boxes painted by Bibiena himself. The 13-year-old Mozart gave a concert here in January 1770; the hall still hosts concerts and is open to visitors.

Mantua Cathedral is the Roman Catholic cathedral of Mantua, dedicated to Saint Peter, on the north side of Piazza Sordello. It combines a Romanesque bell tower, a Gothic south flank from around 1400, an interior remodelled by Giulio Romano after a fire in 1545 and a marble façade built in 1756–1761.

The Ducal Palace in Mantua is the former residence of the Gonzaga, lords and later dukes of the city, a complex of more than 500 rooms with gardens and courtyards between Piazza Sordello and the lake. It grew from the 13th century on and includes the Castle of San Giorgio, where Andrea Mantegna painted the Camera degli Sposi.

Palazzo del Te is a Mannerist villa on the southern edge of Mantua, built in 1524–1534 by Giulio Romano for Federico II Gonzaga as a palace of leisure on the site of the family stables. Its rooms are frescoed throughout, among them the Chamber of the Giants, and a garden closed by a semicircular exedra lies beyond the courtyard.