Mantua City Centre Walking Tour

Mantua is a little breathtaking gem; little known or barely remembered before, loved afterwards. The beauty of Mantua, however, is not only in its magnificent buildings but also in the beautiful squares and the charming alleys, lined with arcades and pretty houses. Mantua is small but spectacular and surrounded by beautiful natural environment where art, nature, cultural heritage, great food and overall good living aim for making life sweeter. The city centre tour starts in Sordello Square. Sordello Square is a huge square surronded by some of the most important monuments of the city like the Ducal Palace, the Cathedral and the Bishop's seat. From Sordello Square we can access some squares and gardens beloging to the Ducal Palace like Piazza Castello, Piazza Santa Barbara, Piazza Paccagnini and Piazza Pallone

Broletto Square, the political square in medieval times, is surrounded by some communal buildings built in the 13th century like Palazzo del Podesta and Palazzo del Massaro. The square was also the place for execution, it is still possible to see the four iron rings used for torturing people.

Piazza delle Erbe, bordered by the ancient Palazzo del Podesta to the north and the Palazzo della Ragione (court of justice) to the east, takes its name from the medieval fruit and vegetable market. The square is flanked by the typical porticos (arcades), the clock tower, with a 15th century astrolabe, and the Romanesque church of San Lorenzo

On Piazza Mantegna stands the Basilica of Sant’Andrea, a masterpiece of Leon Battista Alberti, one of the fathers of the Renaissance architecture. The square is the right place to admire its beautiful Renaissance façade

The Basilica of Sant'Andrea is still considered to be one of Alberti's most complete works and one of the greatest works of Renaissance architecture of the 15th century in Northern Italy. The façade, made up of classical architectural elements, conceals a single nave with barrel vaults and trompe-l'oeil painted walls. The first chapel on the left contains the tomb of Andrea Mantegna

The portion of the cloister that closes Piazza L.B. Alberti is the only remaining part of the Benedictine monastery complex destroyed when the new Basilica of Sant’Andrea was built