The Palazzo Ducale (Ducal Palace), called “the city in the shape of a palace,” impresses with its splendor and magnificence. It has 500 rooms and 13 inner courtyards and gardens. This place was chosen for the residence of the rulers of Mantua, the Gonzagas, and remained their residence for 400 years. After them, it was inhabited by Austrian and French rulers. Each left traces of their stay. Here was one of the most active and vibrant courts of the Renaissance era, led by such major patrons as the highly educated Ludovico II Gonzaga, the “Grand Lady of the Renaissance” – Isabella d’Este, and the jurist Vincenzo I Gonzaga.
They loved to surround themselves with prominent artists, sculptors, and architects, philosophers, and composers, thus transforming the small Mantua into a major political and cultural center. Among the wonders of this most beautiful palace are the hall painted by Pisanello, the unparalleled master of painting, in the late Gothic style, the Mirror Hall, where the premiere of the opera by the great court composer Claudio Monteverdi “Orfeo and Euridice” took place, the Marital Bedroom, an undeniable masterpiece of Italian painting, housing the portrait of the Gonzaga family, an exceptional example of lower perspective, and numerous beautifully crafted details. Tapestries made for the Sistine Chapel, based on Raphael’s designs, the hanging garden, and much, much more.
