Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
who rose to marry a Habsburg Emperor, and Vicenzo II (1594-1627), who lost the entire
family fortune and one of Europe's most enviable art collections.
Last, but not least, in Rooms 34 to 36, the
Stanze degli Arazzi
, are some of the only original
artworks commissioned by the family: nine 16th-century Flemish tapestries reproduced
from Raphael's original designs for the Sistine Chapel. Woven in Brussels using the finest
English wool, Indian silk and Cypriot gold and silver thread, they represent the cosmopol-
itan sophistication of the Gonzaga court at the height of its power.
Piazza Sordello
Piazza Sordello is the oldest square, and was probably the location of the Etruscan town.
The existing layout is thanks to the Gonzagas whose immense living quarters, fronted by
the Palazzo Ducale, frame the east side. Sideways onto the palace, the towering, creamy
cathedral
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(Piazza Sordello 16; 7am-noon & 3-7pm)
sports three
styles: a late-baroque facade (c 1750), a Gothic left side and a Romanesque belfry. At the
Tower; Piazza Sordello)
dates from the 13th century. Look out for the
gabbia
(cage) dangling
from one side - people who'd offended the authorities were incarcerated in it.
PIAZZA
Piazza Broletto
PIAZZA
Once home to the city's highest official and adorned with a coat of arms, the
Palazzo del
stone shrine dedicated to Virgil, depicting the poet sitting at his desk. The brick arch to the
ments. Prisoners were suspended from the iron rings in the ceiling and the ropes pulled
taught, a torture known as
squassi di corda
.
Piazza delle Erbe
Once the location of the town's vegetable market, Piazza delle Erbe is Mantua's most
Piazza delle Erbe; 10am-1pm & 4-7pm Tue-Sun during temporary exhibitions)
sports a 15th-cen-
tury clock tower at its south end which marks the phases of the moon and signs of the zo-
diac.
PIAZZA
