This weekend Florence is going 'Anti-Global' as the social forum comes to town. This means I have Saturday off work! Hurrah! So a weekend in Mantova is the plan, with a special visit to the Gonzaga exhibition that's on at the moment.
Mantova or 'Mantua' in English, is a medium-sized city situated on the Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Veneto borders and nestled in the Po valley. Although it was founded around 2,000 BC by the Etruscans, artistically, culturally and musically it was made famous by the wealthy Gonzaga family during the 14th century. After this, Mantua came under the rulership of the French, Spanish, Austrian Hapsburgs, Napoleon and finally incorporated into a united Italy in 1866. In 2008 it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We head off on Saturday lunchtime, as it's only a two and a half hour drive north and in no time we're there. We park up and head for the tourist office and book a room for the night at a local 'agriturismo' farmhouse just outside the city. As we have a few hours to check in, we go for a wander and soak up some of the atmosphere of this very pretty city. By chance we stumble on this famous church, St. Andrea, which is one of the many masterpieces by 'Renaissance man', Leon Battista Alberti, and a real architectural gem it is too! Just round the corner is Piazza Erbe with this 11th century 'round' church, San Lorenzo, Palace and clock tower. Around the back there is a monument to Mantova's favourite son, the 70 BC poet, Virgil
Then it's back out to find a restaurant for the evening. Which may be difficult on a Saturday evening... The first 3 or 4 places we find are all booked out. But finally we find a very modern looking place down a side alley. It's all decked out in minimalist style with white plastic furniture, not normally our kind of thing, however the food is very good. We try the local dish, Tortelli di Zucca (Pumpkin ravioli) which is very sweet! We also both go for the duck, which is ok and for dessert, I opt for some mountain cheeses and Annette gets the waiter to combine two desserts, which he dutifully does! And we have a very enjoyable evening. Finished off by a nice stroll through the huge Piazza Sardello, where we will be returning tomorrow. 
Sunday
After a very strange but tasty cheese and cake breakfast we're off on our art extravaganza. We've booked tickets for the Gonzaga exhibition and head to the Palazzo Te, a palace/villa built between 1524 and 1534 by Raphael's pupil, Giulio Romano. The exhibition celebrates the glorious collection of the prolific Gonzaga dukes that includes over 2,000 paintings and 20,00 precious objects which were commissioned over a four hundred year period. The Gonzagas were to Mantova what the Medici were to Florence and just as keen patrons of the arts. All these works have been scattered to the four corners of the globe, but for three months 1,800 pieces have been returned to Mantova for this extraordinary occasion...
Most of the collection is in the huge Celeste gallery and we stroll round admiring some the masterpieces. Some of my favourites include; Titian's very beautiful 'Woman with the mirror' usually exhibited in the Louvre.
'Love Conquers All' Virgil
Andrea Mantegna's 'Dead Christ', usually in Milan, with its ground breaking perspective
and Correggio's breathtaking 'Mercury and Cupid'.
After the Celeste gallery we take a look at the rest of the Palace - a series of themed rooms frescoed in the Mannerist style by Giulio Romano. In particular the hall of the Giants with a floor to ceiling fresco is impressive.
All 'arted' out for the morning, we drive back into the city and find a small Piazza to have a spot of lunch. The temperature is cold, but the fog has lifted and we sit outside in the sun... re-charged for the second leg of our tour-de-force... The Palazzo Ducale. We have come here to see Mantegna's 1465-1475 Masterpiece, the fresco of the 'Camera degli Sposi' (Wedding Room) There is a time limit for the viewing as it is a very small room, but it's definitely worth the visit! Three of the walls are frescoed with members of the Gonzaga family set in an idealized Roman countryside scene - and on the ceiling is an 'Oculus' with incredible foreshortening features, which was revolutionary for its time. Incredible!
Afterwards we are treated by an impromptu private tour of three special rooms of the Palace which were occupied by the real star of the family, Isabella d'Este, who was primarily responsible for keeping this vast collection together.
Isabella d'Este
(Leonardo da Vinci)
New Wine
As if we haven't done or seen enough, on the way out of Mantova I spot a poster advertising a 'Vino Novello' wine festival in nearby Ostiglia, so we take a little detour to check it out... Ostiglia is a small town, but for four days it has been turned into a huge tent, with new wine from all over the area and for the hefty price of 1 euro you can taste away to your heart’s content! I try about 10 different wines and we buy some dessert wine and a bottle of cream of Amaretto!
'Time flies never to be regained. Perhaps even these things, one day, will be pleasing to remember.' Virgil
(Original journal entry 10/11/02)
