Mantova Things to Do

Leon Battista Alberti died in 1472 and problems set in immediately, first regarding the foundations, then in relation to the restraints set by the neighboring buildings and finally lack of money.
The superintendent of works became Luca Fancelli who transformated the original nucleus, of which the bell tower erected in 1413 is still standing. Later on, at the end of the 16th century, Antonio Maria Viani added the crypt but the whole building was finally finished in 1782 by the architect Filippo Juvarra.
The three hundred years that lapsed between the original design and the final realization, make it impossible to know what Alberti's original model looked like.

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Basilica di Sant'Andrea, the largest religious building in Mantova, was designed by Leon Battista Alberti, and is one of the best known Renaissance churches in the world.
The origin of the huge complex is traditionally set in the 9th century, with the construction of a building to house the relic of the blood of Christ, brought to Mantova by Longinus, the soldier who had pierced the side of Christ on the cross.
The building, according to Alberti's ideas, was to be unusual, large enough to hold great crowds and modeled on a heretofore unused type, that of the Etruscan temple.

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The great Torre dell'Orologio, (Clock Tower), built in 1473, stands to the right of the Palazzo della Ragione. The present look of the tower is the result of a nineteenth-century restoration.
The clock at the center of the tower was originally built by the mathematician Bartolomeo Manfredi, with a mechanism that marked the months and the positions of the stars as well as the hours.
Below the clock, in a niche, is an seventeenth-century statue of the Madonna Immacolata, while the crowning of the Tower, by Antonio Maria Viani, dates to 1612.

Palazzo della Ragione, also known as Palazzo Nuovo, was built in 1250 after the adjacent Palazzo del Podesta to which it is connected by a passageway. Its present look is the result of modifications carried out by Luca Fancelli, who oriented the front of the building towards Piazza del Mercato. The palace was seat of the administration of justice in Gonzaga times.

This powerful castle is a wonderful example of urban fortification. It was erected in the 14th century to safeguard the access from the lake. It's squared planned with four big towers at the sides, surrounded by a deep moat.

This palace is a huge complex of several buildings, churches, yards and gardens, added in different historical periods. It counts 500 rooms and 15 open spaces. The picture depicts the facade of 'Palazzo del Capitano' (13th-14th century), the first part of Palazzo Ducale to be built during the first Bonacolsi ruling.

This marvellous church is one of the oldest of the city. Built in the 11th century it was partially demolished when included in the Jewish Ghetto. It was finally restored in 1908 following the example of the romanic temple of San Tomè, just near Bergamo.

Palazzo del Podesta is composed of two contiguous structures, one overlooking the Piazza Broletto with the tall Town Tower - Torre Comunale -, the other overlooking Piazza delle Erbe. There were originally two symmetrical towers but one on the southeast was torn down in the early 1900s.
Palazzo del Podesta, also known as Broletto, dates from 1227 and was subsequently damaged by the fire in 1413 and then restored several times by the Gonzaga, until finally, after 1462 Luca Fancelli was called in.