Mantova

Because it was founded on water and marshes, Mantua is a wonderful water lily of a city. Mantua's beauty is secret, concealed: this book brings its hidden pearls to light. After a historical introduction, the volume focuses on the history of art and architecture in Renaissance Mantua, when the Gonzagas' passion and the presence of extraordinary architects and artists, such as Leon Battista Alberti, Andrea Mantegna and Giulio Romano, imposed a character of princely magnificence, theatrical and dreamlike, on the city. The label Classical Utopia invites us to seek in Mantua the traces of rational models, in line with ancient rules; but the riches of the city go well beyond this reading. Browsing through the images takes the reader to the city's most beautiful spots, amid the most surprising monuments and works of art. Crossing the almost labyrinthine paths of the Doge's Palace, stopping to linger on the Camera degli Sposi, and from a loggia, discovering an unexpected lake landscape. The wonder continues with Palazzo Te, the marvellous suburban villa, frescoed by Giulio Romano. Mantua hides other treasures: the church of Sant'Andrea, the Bibiena Scientific Theatre, the ancient aristocratic palaces, the artists' houses...