Lombardia · 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.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Mantova is on our list
It holds UNESCO, Città del Pane and Città d'Arte.
Subscribe and you get Mantova's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- By car
- 39 min from Verona
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 49,607
- J8°
- F12°
- M15°
- A19°
- M23°
- J28°
- J31°
- A31°
- S26°
- O20°
- N13°
- D8°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
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.
How to get there
From Verona (VRN), about 47 min by car.
Bologna (BLQ) is about 1 h 16 min away.
By car from the center of Brescia 1 h 9 min or Parma 1 h 16 min.
Driving in is restricted: a limited traffic zone is mapped here. Check the signs and the times before you drive into the center.
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 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Verona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
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.
From the guides
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.
2 more places the guides name in Mantova
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.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Mantova is a city.
- A city of 49,607 people, and a provincial capital: the services are here, not a drive away.
- A station of its own, so the rest of Italy is a train ride away.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 49,607, up 3.4% since 2015
- Train station in the comune
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,700 to €1,850 per m² to buy, €7.50 to €10.50 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- A local hub
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 94% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Verona airport (VRN), 47 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Milan, 2 h 10 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
17% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Morocco, Brazil and Romania, against 9% across Italy. 111 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United Kingdom, Germany and France. There are 240 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 21% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Mantua province ranks 34th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
There is a major emergency department in the comune. The nearest children's emergency room is in Verona, 36 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Verona, 33 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds between 0.38% and 0.8% to your income tax, depending on your income, with nothing due on income under €22,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Lombardia spends about €2,410 a month, €510 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €415 a year for water, on the Lombardia average. In Mantua, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.35, a meal in a pizzeria €13.90 and a man's haircut €20.84.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 14% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. They show no residents in a high landslide zone.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
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.
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 Lombardia.
- What is the nearest airport to Mantova?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Verona (VRN), about 47 min 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 1 h 9 min 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.
- Which other towns are like Mantova?
- Faenza, Imola and Bassano del Grappa.
- How many people live in Mantova?
- 49,607 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Mantova a good place to live?
- Mantova is a city of 49,607 people, the kind of place Part 3 of our Where to Move in Italy series is about. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 94% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
The numbers
- Elevation: 19 m
- Population: 49,607
- 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.
The ranked lists
Lists Mantova appears in
- The best cheese towns within two hours of BolognaNear Bolognawithin 2 hourscheese zone6 towns · smallest 1,964 residents · closest 37 min away
- The best towns with a World Heritage site within 90 minutes of BolognaNear Bolognawithin 90 minWorld Heritage6 towns · smallest 10,939 residents · closest 48 min away
- The best towns with a World Heritage site within 90 minutes of BresciaNear Bresciawithin 90 minWorld Heritage7 towns · smallest 538 residents · closest 39 min away
- The best towns with a World Heritage site within 90 minutes of VeronaNear Veronawithin 90 minWorld Heritage7 towns · smallest 4,080 residents · closest 30 min away
- The best towns with a serious restaurant that eat well within 90 minutes of VeronaNear Veronawithin 90 minserious restauranteats well8 towns · smallest 1,500 residents · closest 34 min away
- The best towns with a World Heritage site in LombardiaLombardiaWorld Heritage8 towns · smallest 538 residents
Similar
Towns like Mantova
What all six share with Mantova: over 10,000 people · near sea level · have a railway station in the comune
The 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: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Mantova comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Abetone Cutigliano, 113 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.