The tour starts from St Andrew’s Church, stop to admire the beautiful frescoed facade of the Viani-Tallarico House. You will also admire the liberti style Chamber of Commerce (Palazzo Andreani) and the fish market designed by G. Romano. Then walk (approximately 10/15 minutes) to the other end of the city, considered the centre of the personal life of the rulers of Mantua. Along the way you will see some houses whose facades are decorated with frescoes and other valuable architectural details. Among them are the charming houses of the painters Giulio Romano and Andrea Mantegna, in particular the circular garden of A. Mantegna’s residence deserves special attention. Mantegna. Nearby is the church of St Sebastian, the first testimony to the genius of L. B. Alberti in Mantua; a church whose author’s profound intentions have not been fully comprehended. A little further on is the Palazzo St Sebastian, the country residence of Francesco II Gonzago, consort of Isabella D’Este, which housed Mantegna’s paintings from the Triumph of Caesar cycle, now in the Queen of England’s collection at Hampton Court. The site chosen for the building is due to the nearby island of Te, with Gonzago’s government stables. The palace is now home to the Mantua Museum. You cross the street and find yourself in front of the famous Palazzo Te, a magnificent Mannerist epitome of the Roman painter Giulio Pippi, nicknamed the Roman, who, after the death of his great teacher Raphael, moved from Rome to Mantua, where he lived and worked for 20 years. He “exported” to Mantua and the North of Italy Roman art at its best. Admire the palace from the outside. The tour ends here. From here you can return to the place where the tour started by foot, which takes about 20 minutes, by bus or by taxi.
TOUR 2 SIGHTSEEING TOUR – “THE WAY OF THE SOVEREIGN”
