7 minute read
Greedy weekend
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The province of Mantua is one of the richest soils of the Padan Plain. The environment around these areas of water and land is unique and the director Bernarddo Bertolucci decided to shoot many scenes of his masterpiece “Novecento” (1900) there. Winter, mainly the period of the year leading to Christmas is particularly charming. The fog sometimes discloses magic villages, amazing art treasures and natural views of rare beauty where the soil meets the water, the plain sounds borderless and the horizon is always a perfect line between the endless fields and the sky. The old little towns and the villages look like islands coming out of the fog. The Etruscan civilisation mixed with the Roman one, the history of Matilde of Tuscany meets Virgilio’s one and the fields, the villages and the city of Mantua come together in a province which is an open air museum spread with architectural treasures and special cooking traditions like the pumpkin ravioli (pasta filled with the pumpkin) and the Sbrisolona cake. Our week-end will start in Sabbioneta. This village is entirely surrounded by the walls dating back to the 16th century and it belongs to “the most beautiful villages of Italy” organization. This area belonged to the Gonzaga family, it was rebuilt between 1554 and 1591 by the will of the Prince Vespasiano according to the classic architectural ideals and it became a very important Renaissance art centre and it was afterwards called the “Little Athens”. A stroll around the village will lead us to the restaurant Al Duca in Stamperia street, in the historical centre where we’ll order some local culatello (special raw ham), a hot dish of risotto and the delicious roast Guinea fowl. After strolling around at night we’ll reach the elegant hotel Giulia Gonzaga, located in a building dating back to the 16th century in the historical centre.
Saturday around Sabbioneta and Mantua
The awakening is sweet at the Atena sweets shop where you can taste the sweets and the typical duke’s pearls, a particular creation to pay homage to Vespasiano and his wives, they are delicious crunches with a flavour of citrus fruit and spiced apricots. Our morning is dedicated to the treasures of Sabbioneta, starting with Palazzo del Giardino (the Garden Palace), the private residence of Vespasiano Gonzaga that was built in 1584. It features a straight external façade while the rooms are full of frescos and stucco decorations. Then we’ll visit the Gallery of the Ancients, it’s 96 metres long and it’s featured by some layered arches. We’ll also stop at the Doge’s palace which is richly decorated with some frescos belonging to the Mannerism and precious carved wooden ceilings. The view of Sabbioneta that most catches our attention is the Ancient Theatre or Olympic Theatre designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi. It features some beautiful frescos belonging to the Venetian School, it was built to host the shows and the concerts dedicated to the Court of Vespasiano. Our visit will end at the Neo-Classical Synagogue which is set in the old Jewish district, a worship place for the local community. After visiting the historical and architectural wonders we fancy a tasty stop in the countryside so we’ll stop at the restaurant Corte Bondeno where we’ll order a tasty roast culatello with honey. The second destination of our week- end is going to be the beautiful city of Mantua, the city of the noble Gonzaga family, it’s an important city of art and it’s surrounded by the river Mincio and it’s particularly lively during Christmas. It’s Viergilio’s hometown and it’s spread with artworks thanks to which it is considered one of the most interesting cities of Lombardy from the cultural point of view. The silhouette of this city is exciting, as soon as you get there you’ll praise the castle of Saint George, the domes, the spires and the Medieval towers. We are going to spend our afternoon at the discovery of its historical features, attracted by its beauty. There are three main squares in Mantua, piazza delle Erbe, piazza Broletto which takes its name from a building dating back to the 13th century decorated with a statue of Virgilio and Sordello where the Gothic cathedral designed by Giulio Romano with its front side dating back to the 18th century and the Doge’s palace stand out. Piazza delle Erbe features lively arcades full of locals and stalls on one side and the Clock Tower dating back to the 12th century and Palazzo della Ragione where once the justice was administered on the other side; a covered walkway connects the building with the 13th century Palazzo del Podestà. The Rotonda di San Lorenzo enriches the square, it’s a church wanted by Matilde of Tuscany in the 11th century. The nearby Piazza Mantegna is featured by the beautiful front side of the church of Sant’Andrea, designed by Leon Battista Alberti, it’s majestic inside. After such a wonder, we deserve a tasty dinner. The Osteria dell’Oca will cheer our mouth up with some good salami, pancetta, coppa, cotechino (a big sausage), a little giardiniera (pickled vegetables) and the “gras pistà” which is the fat with sausages, parsley, garlic and hot polenta. We intend to continue with the appetizers and have some good Grana cheese with some apple mustard then a grilled steak seasoned with some rocket salad Grana cheese accompanied with some good Doc local wine, the Lambrusco from Mantua. A stroll around the narrow streets in the cold Padan night can’t be missed before retreating at the elegant hotel Broletto, in the heart of the city at a stone’s throw from the pedestrian area between the Doge’s palace and Piazza delle Erbe.
Sunday in Mantua visiting the Sanctuary of Beata Vergine delle Grazie
Mantua offers us a Royal awakening. You can enjoy it on foot especially during Christmas time when the historical shops are beautifully decorated like the Azzali jewelry shop, the Tragni hat shop and the Caravatti sweets shop. The Christmas market is held in piazza Virgiliana, you’ll get lost around the stalls that display the handicraft objects and the delicious local specialties, you’ll breath the warm atmosphere at the end of the year as well as the history and the old traditional tastes. We’ll reach one of the wonders of this town surrounded by the glittering Christmas decorations, the sweets shops and the shop-windows displaying beautiful warm Winter clothes: Palazzo Te, the 16th century Giulio Romano’s masterpiece the Gonzaga family used as a villa to enjoy their leisure time. The artworks and the architecture come together to create amazing effects. The Chamber of the Giants where the titans sound pulling the main pillars down, the Chamber of Cupid and Psyche, the Chamber of horses with six life-sized frescoed horses, the Chamber of the Zodiac feature a route of feelings around these amazing painted rooms. We’ll have lunch at the restaurant Carlo Govi where we’ll taste a warm gurnard salad, the typical tortelli (home-made pasta filled with the pumpkin) with butter and we’ll sip the Merlot wine from the hills of Lake Garda then we’ll taste a savoury pork loin with mustard from Dijon and the apple caponata. We’ll spend the afternoon in the nearby Curtatone where the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie is located in the district called Grazie. It was built between 1399 and 1406 by the will of Francesco I Gonzaga, and it was used as the set for some scenes of the movie “Novecento” by Bernardo Bertolucci. It’s featured by a brick façade, a long arcade where a Renaissance gateway and a fresco stand out. Inside, the apse and the presbytery clearly belong to the Renaissance period, there are works by Giulio Romano dating back to the 16th century, statues and wooden balconies and a curious stuffed crocodile hung under the aisle. For our “last supper” in Mantua we’ll chose the restaurant Tiratappi in the town centre where we’ll have some rice with the sausage sauce, a grilled beef filet with home fries seasoned with the rosemary and we’ll finish our meal by tasting the delicious Sbrisolona cake. The freezing cold will lead us along our last stroll of the week-end while the night lights will be warming us up with the poetry of this city lying at the Court of the Gonzaga
