Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nani)
with its miniature version of the Vatican's holy staircase, built to amuse the
“little people” who were members of Isabella's court.
Hedonism and frivolity are the principal qualities that defined the design and
decoration of the
Palazzo Te
(Viale Te;
%
0376-323266;
€
8,
€
2.50 conces-
sion; Tues-Sun 9am-6pm, Mon 1-6pm),
my favorite attraction in Mantua, about
20 minutes south by foot from the center. It was here that Isabella's fun-loving son
Frederico Gonzago sought refuge from the rigors of court life. He commissioned
Giulio Romano to build this beautiful Mannerist suburban villa as an unabashed
tribute to worldly pleasures; throughout the palace, frescoes depict horses,
cherubs, and classical myths with an overtly erotic edge. In the splendid
Sala dei
Giganti (Room of the Giants),
the dramatic perspective of the ceiling fresco
forces the spectator to share the experience of imminent collapse as the crumbling
slopes of Mount Olympus bring about the defeat of the Giants at the hands of
Jupiter and the gods.
55
SAMPLING THE TASTE OF MANTUA
Even more so than Verona, Mantua
is horse-meat country. To sample this classic Roman delicacy, visit the 250-year-
old
Antica Hosteria Leoncino Rosso
(Via Giustiziati, 33;
%
0376-323277;
Mon-Sat noon-3:30pm and 7-10:30pm, Sun noon-3:30pm),
right in the histori-
cal city center. There's plenty to choose from the menu of Mantuan, Italian, and
Roman dishes. I like to order a variety of dishes, starting with Mantuan garlic
salami
(salame mantovano),
which is particularly good with the house tap wine.
Some of the more exotic dishes include risotto with Mantua sausage, macaroni
with stewed horse meat
(maccheroni con stracotto),
or you can go for plain horse
stew. If, like me, you're not into equine meat, try the superbly roasted guinea fowl,
or rabbit stuffed with olives. Most dishes are under
€
10. Note that the restaurant
is closed for half of August.
Trent
The Adige River links Verona with the gorgeous Alpine town of Trent, 101km (63
miles) to the north. Here, betwixt soaring mountains a sense of meditative calm
prevails, making this a tranquil respite from the busier cities. Of course, the laid-
back atmosphere you'll experience in this sun-drenched valley town is in stark
contrast to the town's history as the seat of powerful Church overlords: Trent was
ruled by dynastic bishops from the 10th century until the 1700s. It was here that
furiously militant Christianity exercised a fierce grip during the 16th century,
when the Catholic Church staged its Council of Trent in response to Martin
Luther's Reformation on the other side of the Alps. Stern meetings, held over 18
years, were designed to halt the spread of the Protestant gospel before it oozed into
Italy; it was during these sessions that a blueprint for the coming Inquisition was
established. Many of the town's attractions remain suffused with the legacy of the
Council's proceedings.
There are frequent
trains
from Verona to Trent, and the trip lasts around
1 hour; you save
3 by taking the regional, slightly slower train (70 min. rather
than 58 min.), which costs
€
4.65; visit www.trenitalia.com for full schedules.
From the train station, walk along Via Pozzo until you get to Piazza del Duomo
(just keep on going as Pozzo changes its name along the way), which centers
on a fountain statue of Neptune. Here, cafes fill the square in front of the rather
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