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# 60 • MAY 17 , 2015
# 60 • MAY 17 , 2015
read more about #Italian Culture and History
ITALIAN CULTURE AND HISTORY:
Mantua
By www.italia.it
Mantua is one of the most be- the lower part of the Po plain, ters form a deep bight which
autiful cities in Lombardy, rich Mantua sits on the banks of embraces the city and creates
in art and culture. Located in the river Mincio, where its wa- Lake Superiore, Lake di Mez-
zo and Lake Inferiore (Upper, the city and of the duchy until
Middle and Lower Lakes).
1360 when Mantua capitulated after the Austrian siege.
History
It was then annexed to the KinThe city was born as an Etru- gdom of Lombardy-Venetia
scan settlement which then and the city struggled a long
passed on to the Cenomanian time for its independence and
Gauls and subsequently to the national unity, as its RisorgiRomans.
mento story narrates, a story
It became a possession of Ca- marked by the tragic episode
nossa around the year one of the"Belfiore martyrs”.
thousand and then a free commune, taking part in the Lom- What to see
bard leagues during the twel- Among the first things to be
fth and thirteenth centuries.
seen are the Ducal Palace and
A period of cultural and arti- its 500 rooms which have been
stic flowering began with Lui- painted and decorated by argi Gonzaga, Lord of Mantua in tists such as Giulio Romano,
1328. The Gonzaga name re- Raphael and Mantegna. This
mained tied up with the fate of beautiful place looks like a real
city-palace extending over
about 35,000 square metres,
thanks to its numerous buildings linked by corridors and galleries, courtyards and gardens.
Near Piazza delle Erbe there
are two other splendid buildings: Palazzo della Ragione and
Palazzo del Podestà (1227),
one of the oldest Medieval public buildings of the city.
Next to these two buildings do
not miss the fifteenth century
characteristicTorre dell’Orologio.
To the east we find the magnificent Palazzo Te, one of the
most beautiful places in Mantua, surrounded by greenery
and conceived as a place of
12 | WE THE ITALIANS
WE THE ITALIANS | 13
www.wetheitalians.com
www.wetheitalians.com