Evening in Mantova
Mantova, a short drive from Lago di Garda and Verona, used to be the cultural hub of northern Italy.
Mantova still looks like a opera setting. Especially at night when a full moon accentuates the romantic shadows of the town centre’s arcades, colonnades, towers, domes and rows of merlature and when the windows of the Palazzo Ducale are lit up to reveal glimpses of the gilding and artworks concealed within. You almost expect to see an armoured knight or a Swiss Guard step forward onto the otherwise deserted Piazza Sordello, but after closing hours the only steps echoing on the cobbled stones are your own. Most tour operators allow only a short stop in Mantova on the way from Verona to Venezia and Firenze, so the busloads of tourists discharged on a daily basis along the three artificial lakes have gone long before darkness falls.
Torre della Gabbia and the outdoor prison
Instead locals dressed up for the ritual evening ‘passagiata’ take over the city. The piazzas and narrow streets between a seemingly endless row of churches and palaces get so crowded with push chairs, bicycles, runny ice creams and outdoor restaurants, that you forget to notice the magnificent medieval buildings all around. People no longer look up at the cage on Torre della Gabbia that used to be an openair prison where criminals dangled in public, or try to work out the time by means of the astronomical clock on Torre dell’Orologio. They stroll along in high heel and shiny shoes, kiss the air beside the cheeks of their friends and study the menu at the inimitable Trattoria Cento Rampini on the Piazza del Erbe, generally having a good time.
For some reason the large square in front of the austere and defensive looking ducal palace is not part of the circuit. Perhaps people are awed by the unassuming exterior of the Gonzaga residence that allegedly hides 450 rooms, a basilica, 15 courtyards and grand collections of art. It is so incredibly huge, and that I’d be lost without the guiding arrows or a gps, which is why I’ll have to save a description of the interior for some other time.
Piazza del Erbe with the Torre dell’Orologio on a rainy day in May.
Other things to see in Mantova
Piazza delle Erbe in Mantova combines past and present
Ducal Palace Mantua and the art work extravaganze
The scale of some of those buildings is amazing. And you’re right — it does look like the setting of an opera. :)
Great post! Mantova looks like my kind of place: peaceful after sundown and lots of medieval architecture.
Looks absolutely lovely!
I love how different Mantova sounds once all the tourists leave. I think I’d like it better then. Interesting that there used to be an outdoor prison, I haven’t heard of one before.
I stumbled upon Mantova by accident in 07. The place has a magic like no other place in Italy. (and that is saying a lot) If you just have time for Pisa, Verona, Florence and Venice and one other place , choose Montova.