The architectural ensemble of Palazzo Ducale is striking for its size (35,000 m² with over 1,000 rooms) and the complexity of its interconnected corridors, earning it the name "city-palace."
Corte Vecchia Corte Vecchia is the oldest core of the palace, comprising the medieval buildings of the
Palazzo del Capitano and the
Magna Domus facing Piazza Sordello.
Palazzo del Capitano and Magna Domus The Palazzo del Capitano is the oldest building in Palazzo Ducale, commissioned by Guido Bonacolsi at the end of the 13th century. Initially built with two floors and separated from the
Magna Domus by an alley, it was raised by one floor in the early 14th century and connected to the
Magna Domus by a monumental portico facade, which remains largely unchanged today. The added second floor consists of a single vast hall (67x15 m) called the
Hall of the Armory, also known as the
Hall of the Diet, as it hosted the
Diet of Mantua in 1459. This distinguished space is currently abandoned and in need of restoration.
The Pisanello Cycle , Tournament Scene (detail) Antonio Pisano, known as
Pisanello, painted a grand cycle of Arthurian-themed chivalric frescoes between 1433 and 1437 in the room now named after him, depicting the Battle of Louverzep, intended to glorify the patron
Gianfrancesco Gonzaga, who is also depicted in the artwork. These frescoes narrate the epic tale of King Arthur, whose stories were highly popular at the time as they embodied the ideals of chivalric behavior. This fresco cycle was never completed for unknown reasons. The frescoes were covered by the late 16th century with faux marble decorations and in 1701 with a frieze featuring portraits of the
Gonzaga from the first
Luigi to the last
Ferdinando Carlo, leading the room to be called the
Hall of the Princes. Around 1810, further neoclassical updates were added above the frieze. Today, the Pisanello rooms house fragments of the frescoes and their preparatory
sinopie.
Apartment of Isabella d'Este in the Corte Vecchia with the coat of arms of
Isabella d'Este Corte Vecchia regained prominence when
Isabella d'Este moved from the Castle in 1519 to the ground floor of this ancient sector of the Gonzaga palace, in the so-called widow’s apartment. Isabella’s apartment consisted of two wings, now divided by the entrance to the
Courtyard of Honor. In the more private
Grotta wing, she brought wooden furnishings and art collections from her two famous
studioli, the
grotta and the
studiolo. The latter contained paintings, now housed in the
Louvre Museum, commissioned between 1496 and 1506 from
Mantegna (
Parnassus and
Triumph of the Virtues),
Lorenzo Costa (''Isabella d'Este in the Kingdom of Harmony
and Kingdom of Como
), and Perugino (The Battle Between Love and Chastity), along with works by Correggio (Allegory of Vice
and Allegory of Virtue
). Another notable space in this wing is the "Camera Granda" or "Scalcheria," frescoed in 1522 by the Mantuan Lorenzo Leonbruno. The apartment also included other rooms in the wing called "Santa Croce," named after an ancient church from Matilda’s era, on whose remains reception rooms were built, such as the Hall of Isabella's Deeds
, the Imperial Hall
or Fireplace Hall
, the Hall of Marigolds
, the Hall of Plaques
, and the Hall of Deeds
. The Secret Garden'' is also an integral part of the Grotta Apartment.
Santa Croce Vecchia was a small church, typical of the period around the year 1000. Its existence is documented by a record from May 10, 1083, signed by
Matilda of Canossa. Adjacent to the earliest buildings of the future Palazzo Ducale, it likely served as the palatine church of the
Bonacolsi and
Gonzaga. However, the Gonzaga’s well-known passion for construction led to the demolition of the ancient Matilda-era church. Authorized by
Pope Martin V,
Gianfrancesco Gonzaga demolished the old church around 1421 and built a late Gothic chapel with the same dedication nearby, now deconsecrated but still identifiable by the small courtyard accessing Isabella d’Este’s widow’s apartment. Later,
Guglielmo Gonzaga (1550–1587) transformed Corte Vecchia’s spaces, creating the Refectory overlooking the Hanging Garden and the
Hall of Mirrors, intended for music.
Hall of Rivers, Tapestry Room, Hall of the Zodiac During the Habsburg period, the Refectory was renovated, resulting in the Hall of Rivers, where
Giorgio Anselmi painted (circa 1775) giants representing the rivers of the Mantuan territory on the walls. Concurrently, the Tapestry Apartment was created, consisting of four rooms. Three of these have walls adorned with nine handwoven tapestries from
Flanders, based on preparatory cartoons by
Raphael, the same used for the famous
Raphael Cartoons preserved in the
Sistine Chapel in
Vatican City. Purchased in
Brussels by Cardinal
Ercole Gonzaga around 1552 to furnish what was then called the "Green Apartment," the tapestries were bequeathed in his 1563 will to his nephew Guglielmo, with the wish that they adorn the
Palatine Basilica of Santa Barbara, where they remained for two centuries. Forgotten in the palace’s storerooms, they were restored in 1799 and placed in the apartment adapted for them. The Hall of the Zodiac, Guglielmo Gonzaga’s private apartment, was painted between 1579 and 1580 by
Lorenzo Costa the Younger with assistance from
Andreasino. Today, only the frescoed ceiling remains, as the walls were redecorated in the Napoleonic era. The room is also called Napoleon I’s Room, as it served as
Bonaparte’s bedroom. The vault depicts the
chariot of Diana pulled by dogs among the constellations of the Zodiac, with the constellation of
Astrea at the center near Diana’s chariot, interpreted as an allusion to the Duke’s horoscope. The
krater (cup) of sacrifices and
libations symbolizes the immortality of the Gonzaga lineage. The Raven, a bird sacred to
Apollo, was transformed into a constellation by the god. The Virgo sign, holding a wheat ear, takes the form of Astrea and
Ceres and is the emblem of
Vincenzo Gonzaga. The
firmament revolves around
Diana’s chariot, drawn by a pack of dogs. The goddess, depicted as pregnant, represents
Eleanor of Austria, wife of the Duke of Mantua. According to ancient tradition, Scorpio holds the Libra sign in its claws. The ceiling’s large surface is painted with the oil-on-plaster technique, and the vault is ribbed. The current neoclassical appearance of the walls, decorated with gilded candelabra in neo-Egyptian motifs (by Gerolamo Staffieri) dates to the Napoleonic period (1813). Above the doors are four stucco panels imitating bronze, depicting allegories: i)
Napoleon receives the sword of Mars from Jupiter, ii)
Italy offers the Laws to Napoleon, iii)
Napoleon accepts the products of the earth, iv)
Minerva presents the arts and sciences to Napoleon.
Guastalla Apartment Located on the upper floor of the
Palazzo del Capitano, it is named after
Anna Isabella Gonzaga from
Guastalla, wife of the last duke
Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga. It comprises six rooms (including the
Hall of Emperors) with wooden ceilings, partially modified in the late 16th century. Traces of 14th-century frescoes remain on the walls. Among the exhibited works is the tombstone of Alda d’Este in marble, created in 1381 by
Bonino da Campione. From the early 19th century, the sculpted figure was mistakenly thought to be
Margherita Malatesta. The apartment is flanked by the long
Passerino Corridor, where the mummy of Passerino Bonacolsi, ousted by the Gonzaga in 1328, was reportedly kept.
Empress’s Apartment Comprising nine rooms furnished in the
Empire style, it is located on the first floor of the
Magna Domus. It was arranged in 1778 for
Maria Beatrice d’Este, wife of
Ferdinand Karl, the fifth son of
Maria Theresa, hence its name derived from the imperial
Habsburg connection. These rooms also hosted Prince
Eugène de Beauharnais, viceroy of the
Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, who in 1810 brought from
Milan a precious canopy bed adorned with fabrics from
Lyon, still preserved in the bedroom, otherwise furnished with Habsburg-era furniture.
Guglielmo’s Apartment in Corte Vecchia Comprising five rooms, including the
Hanging Garden.
Other Rooms on the Piano Nobile of Corte Vecchia •
Morone Room, housing the painting
Battle between the Gonzaga and the Bonacolsi by
Domenico Morone (1494) •
Hall of the Popes •
Alcove Rooms •
New Gallery •
Ducal Chapel •
Hall of Mirrors, with decorations by
Antonio Maria Viani •
Moors’ Corridor, with early 17th-century stucco decorations •
Moors’ Small Room, with a 1580 ceiling featuring a medallion with
Venus and Cupids by
Daniel van den Dyck, who served as Surveyor of the Gonzaga Works from 1657 to 1662 •
Falcons’ Room, with decorations from the second half of the 16th century •
Santa Barbara Loggia Domus Nova '', Hall of the Archers, Vincenzo and Guglielmo Gonzaga The Tuscan architect
Luca Fancelli built the
Domus Nova (1480–84), which, over a century later, under Duke
Vincenzo I, underwent architectural interventions that transformed Fancelli’s building. This project, resulting in the current
Ducal Apartment, was designed by the Cremonese painter and architect
Antonio Maria Viani, who served the Gonzaga from 1595. In the grand
Hall of the Archers, paintings from suppressed churches and monasteries are now displayed. The most famous work exhibited there is
The Gonzaga Family in Adoration of the Holy Trinity by
Peter Paul Rubens, created for the
Church of the Holy Trinity in 1605. In Mantua, only the central canvas, partially mutilated, remains of the original triptych, with the
Transfiguration of Christ now in
Nancy and the
Baptism of Christ in
Antwerp. The Mantuan canvas depicts Duke
Vincenzo and his wife
Eleanor de' Medici in the foreground, with his father
Guglielmo and his wife
Eleanor of Austria in the background.
Ducal Apartment Built by Duke
Guglielmo Gonzaga around 1580 with carved and decorated ceilings, it was remodeled by architect
Antonio Maria Viani during the time of
Vincenzo I. It includes the following rooms: •
Hall of Judith, with a ceiling depicting the Gonzaga deed of the "Crucible"; the room contains four large 17th-century canvases by the Neapolitan Pietro Mango, court painter of
Charles II Gonzaga, depicting scenes from Judith’s life (
Judith at Holofernes’ Camp,
Holofernes’ Banquet,
Judith Beheads Holofernes,
The Display of Holofernes’ Head). Originally called the "
Room of the Footmen", it now displays the series
Christ and the Eleven Apostles, painted by
Domenico Fetti around 1620. •
Hall of the Labyrinth, with a ceiling, transferred from the
Palazzo San Sebastiano, carved with a labyrinth and the motto of Marquess
Francesco II Gonzaga "
Perhaps yes, perhaps no", supplemented during its transfer to Palazzo Ducale with an inscription on the outer band commemorating the battle of
Kanizsa in
Hungary, where Vincenzo I Gonzaga fought the Turks; for Duke
Federico II Gonzaga and expanded by Bertani.
Grand Castle Apartment The Grand Castle Apartment consists of six rooms.
Sala di Manto The Sala di Manto is within Corte Nuova. Originally the entrance to the Troy Apartment, named after the frescoes in the main room by collaborators of Giulio Romano (Luca di Faenza) between 1538 and 1539, commissioned by Federico II Gonzaga to renovate numerous palace rooms. The current appearance of the Sala di Manto is due to Guglielmo’s creation of the Grand Castle Apartment. The frescoes depict the city’s founding, preceded by the arrival in Italy of
Manto, the legendary daughter of the seer
Tiresias. The birth of the city by her son
Ocnus and other urban works undertaken by the Gonzaga are also portrayed. The frescoes are attributed to
Francesco Primaticcio.
Apartment of Metamorphoses Built in 1616 by Antonio Maria Viani, it is named for the ceiling decorations inspired by
Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Rustica, Estivale, or Mostra Apartment Commissioned by
Federico II Gonzaga as a residence for distinguished court guests, the project and initial construction were carried out by architect
Giulio Romano starting in 1539. The Rustica palace was completed by
Giovan Battista Bertani around 1561. A plaque inside the grand hall commemorates the American Henry Kress, who generously contributed to the Palazzo Ducale’s restoration in the early 20th century. •
Hall of the Horses, with canvases celebrating the Gonzaga horses •
Rooms of the Heads •
Cabinet of the Caesars •
Gallery of the Marbles or Months, with genii and zodiac signs, an early work by Giulio Romano •
Room of the Dukes, by
Giovan Battista Bertani, which housed the
Fasti of the Gonzagas commissioned by Guglielmo Gonzaga to
Tintoretto, now preserved at the
Alte Pinakothek in
Munich Santa Barbara Corridor Designed by
Bernardino Facciotto around 1580, it provided a covered passage between Corte Nuova and Corte Vecchia. From the south side, the
Gonzaga family could access the tribune of the adjacent Basilica of Santa Barbara. To the north, the corridor overlooks Piazza Castello.
Enea’s Staircase A work by Bertani from 1549—shortly after being appointed "Surveyor of the Ducal Works" by Cardinal
Ercole Gonzaga—it directly connects the
Hall of Manto with the
Castello di San Giorgio. At the end of the staircase, one accesses the castle’s courtyard and its loggia, a work by
Luca Fancelli from 1472.
Palatine Basilica of Santa Barbara The court’s basilica was built between 1562 and 1572 on the decision of Duke
Guglielmo Gonzaga, who entrusted the project to the ducal architect
Giovan Battista Bertani. It was designed as the setting for the palace’s lavish liturgical ceremonies accompanied by sacred music, equipped with a precious Antegnati organ. The church was recently the site of a significant discovery: the remains of four dukes and other Gonzaga family members, including Guglielmo, who built Santa Barbara and transformed it into a Gonzaga pantheon.
Castello di San Giorgio Built from 1395 and completed in 1406 on the commission of
Francesco I Gonzaga and designed by
Bartolino da Novara. Andrea Mantegna, summoned to Mantua in 1460 by Marquess
Ludovico II and residing in the Virgilian city until his death in 1506, created his most famous and ingenious work within the Castello di San Giorgio, the
Camera Picta or
Camera degli Sposi. == Gardens and courtyards ==