Lombardy · Mantova
Mantova
A Gonzaga capital, encircled on three sides by lakes the Mincio formed in the twelfth century, UNESCO-listed together with Sabbioneta since 2008.
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- By car
- 39 min from Verona
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 48,653
Known for
GONZAGA
Mantua's ruling family from 1328 to 1707, whose patronage built the Palazzo Ducale, Palazzo Te and the Renaissance core of the city.
MANTEGNA
Andrea Mantegna, court painter to Ludovico Gonzaga, who frescoed the Camera degli Sposi in the Palazzo Ducale between 1465 and 1474.
THREE LAKES
Lago Superiore, di Mezzo and Inferiore, formed in 1198 by damming the Mincio, still ringing the city on three sides today.
PROVOLONE VALPADANA
The commune lies inside the Provolone Valpadana DOP production zone.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- J8°
- F12°
- M15°
- A19°
- M23°
- J28°
- J31°
- A31°
- S26°
- O20°
- N13°
- D8°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Anselmo di Lucca, 18 March
Why come
Mantova sits on a peninsula in the Mincio, halfway between Milan and Venice. In the twelfth century the river was dammed into three artificial lakes, Superiore, di Mezzo and Inferiore, which still ring the city on three sides and worked as its defence for six centuries. From 1328 to 1707 it was the seat of the Gonzaga.
The Palazzo Ducale they assembled across that span covers 34,000 square meters between Piazza Sordello and Lago di Mezzo, with over a thousand rooms; the Camera degli Sposi, frescoed by Andrea Mantegna between 1465 and 1474, is the heart of that complex. Outside the walls, Federico II Gonzaga commissioned Giulio Romano to build Palazzo Te between 1525 and 1535: a pleasure villa with the Sala dei Giganti, whose painted Olympus collapses on the viewer from every wall. Mantua and Sabbioneta were jointly inscribed by UNESCO in 2008. The city was Italian Capital of Culture in 2016.
The Sunday letter
Mantova is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Mantova comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Mantova in our articles
The best cheese towns within two hours of Bologna6 towns, Mantova among them.
The best towns inside a nature park that you can reach by train in Lombardia6 towns, Mantova among them.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within 90 minutes of Bologna6 towns, Mantova among them.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within 90 minutes of Brescia6 towns, Mantova among them.
How to get there
From Verona (VRN), about 47 minutes by car.
Bologna (BLQ) is about 1h 16m away.
By car from the centre of Brescia 1h 9m or Parma 1h 16m.
Driving in is restricted: a limited traffic zone is mapped here. Check the signs and the times before you drive into the centre.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Verona, Bologna or Venice?
Coming by train into Verona Porta Nuova? Mantova is about 37 minutes away by road.
What to see
Palazzo Ducale
Gonzaga ducal complex of 34,000 square meters between Piazza Sordello and Lago di Mezzo, with over a thousand rooms across four centuries of additions.
Camera degli Sposi
Frescoed chamber by Andrea Mantegna inside the Palazzo Ducale, painted between 1465 and 1474, with an illusionistic oculus on the ceiling.
Palazzo Te
Suburban pleasure villa built between 1525 and 1535 by Giulio Romano for Federico II Gonzaga, with the Sala dei Giganti and Sala di Amore e Psiche.
Basilica di Sant'Andrea
Renaissance basilica designed by Leon Battista Alberti in 1472, with a single vaulted nave and the supposed relic of the Holy Blood of Christ.
Piazza delle Erbe and Rotonda di San Lorenzo
Medieval market square with the eleventh-century round church of San Lorenzo, the oldest church still standing in Mantova.
I tre laghi
Three lakes formed in 1198 by damming the Mincio, ringing the city on three sides, navigated by boat from the Lago di Mezzo pier.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Mantova fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Lo Scalco GrassoRistorante
Lo Scalco Grasso has one Gambero Rosso fork (76/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Antica osteria ai RanariTrattoria
Antica osteria ai Ranari has one Gambero Rosso prawn to its name.
Il CignoRistorante
A spot in the Michelin Guide, at Il Cigno.
Osteria dell'OcaTrattoria
Osteria dell'Oca has two Gambero Rosso prawns to its name.
Sücar BrüscRistorante
Sücar Brüsc carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Festival della sbrisolona e dei dolci italianifood festival
usually held in October. sagritaly.com
Fiera del riso mantovanomarket
usually held across October and November. sagritaly.com
Living here
- Population 48,653
- A local hubi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Verona, 47 min drive
- Regional capital Milano, 2 h 10 min drive
Common questions
- What is Mantova known for?
- Mantova is a Gonzaga capital at 19 meters, encircled on three sides by lakes the Mincio formed in the twelfth century, UNESCO-listed together with Sabbioneta since 2008.
- Where is Mantova?
- Mantova is a comune in the province of Mantova, in Lombardy.
- What is the nearest airport to Mantova?
- Verona (VRN), about 47 minutes by car.
- Can you get to Mantova without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Brescia to Mantova?
- About 1h 9m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Mantova?
- Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Mantova?
- Yes. Festival della sbrisolona e dei dolci italiani and Fiera del riso mantovano. October is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Mantova?
- Faenza, Imola and Bassano del Grappa.
- How many people live in Mantova?
- 48,653 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 19 m
- Population: 48,653
- Surface area: 63.81 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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🏛️ UNESCO
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