The Gonzaga-Guerrieri Palace and the Italian Gardens

Palazzo Gonzaga-Guerrieri is an elegant historical building located in Volta Mantovana, in the province of Mantua. Known for its incredible gardens, the palace has recently undergone a careful restoration with the aim of restoring it to its original appearance.

As the name suggests, the building was used as the official residence of the Gonzaga family, who once controlled all of Mantua and the entire province. It is now open to the public for the enjoyment of generations past and present, who will have the opportunity to have a closer look at the magnificent architecture.

A fairy-tale place where it is difficult to focus on a single point or a single characteristic element. It deserves to be seen in its entirety, from the external gardens to the internal spaces. Living rooms, bedrooms, and terraces are piled one on top of the other, always offering new points of view.

The history of the building

The construction of the Gonzaga-Guerrieri Castle dates back to 1450, the year in which the Marquis of Mantua Ludovico III Gonzaga decided to buy the territory.

The Marquis and his wife, Barbara of Brandenburg, wanted to build a country villa with an incredibly majestic appearance, a place capable of respecting the aesthetic standards of the time, without leaving the curative air of the nearby Lake Garda.

After the works were completed, on the death of Ludovico III, the palace was entrusted to the Marquis's son, Rodolfo Gonzaga. He continued to use the building as a beloved summer residence, which was later sold to his two sons, Gianfrancesco and Alosio.

The two took care of the maintenance and management of the palace until 1515, the year in which the fortress was donated to Ludovico Guerrieri, the Gonzaga's commissioner.

This brings us to the early nineteenth century, when the Gonzaga-Guerrieri Palace passed under the control of Tullo Guerrieri, and then returned to the hands of the Gonzagas in 1860.

Years later, in 1930, the palace passed to Carlo Cavriani, finally ending the Gonzaga-Guerrieri dynasty. In the middle of the eighties, this man returned everything to the Municipality of Volta Mantovana, closing the cycle of conquests.

What to see while visiting the Palace

One of the most characteristic points of all the Gonzaga-Guerrieri palaces is the entrance door. The asymmetrical façade opens with a stone door surmounted by a marble balcony and two rows of windows, an immediately strong and very elegant image. On the roof, you can see three separate chimneys, which refer to the three chimneys of the building.

Inside, wood is the most present material. Elegant wooden ceilings and decorations inspired by the 16th century fill the entire ground floor, together with an innumerable series of frescoes. The upper floor is partially dedicated to the ballroom, with frescoes by the Mantuan painter Paolo Zandallocca.

In addition to the interior of the Gonzaga-Guerrieri Palace, it is also important to visit the exterior, outside the walls, where there is the famous Italian Garden, built around 500 and divided into four asymmetrical levels.

Between the four floors, we find a panoramic terrace, specially designed to be able to observe the external landscape and to do justice to the beauty of the surrounding nature.

Finally, we mention the presence of a "secret" tunnel that connects the building to the old stables.

Today the old stables are often used for interesting exhibitions and cultural events.