Mantua - The Ideal City of the Renaissance Italy (399/418)

To a large extent Mantua still looks like it did in Romeo's day in around 1597, a Renaissance stronghold. For a good three hundred years, the House of Gonzaga, with its economic success and its love of art, turned Mantua into a centre of culture in its day.

The town was home to the poet Virgil, the musician Claudio Monteverdi and the painter Andrea Mantegna as well as the most significant architects of their time, such as Leon Battista Alberti and Giulio Romano. The Basilica of Sant' Andrea is considered an outstanding example of Italian Renaissance architecture, and the central Palazzo Ducale the dominant structure of the town. The latter's magnificently furnished rooms, 450 of them, include one of Italy's longest galleries. Mantua is situated on a headland. The surrounding water served as a protective barrier against attacks and now provides a romantic frame for the town.