Mantua - Ducal Palace Palazzo Ducale

Opposite the cathedral in Mantua the massive Palazzo Ducale, the sumptuous residence of the Gonzagas and one of the most splendid palaces in Italy, now houses a number of important museums and collections - the Municipal Collection of Antiquities (Greek and Roman sculpture); the Museo Medievale e Moderno (mainly medieval and Renaissance sculpture); and the Galleria, a valuable collection of pictures displayed in a series of rooms richly decorated with frescoes and ceiling paintings.

Outstanding among these rooms are the Appartamento degli Arazzi, with nine tapestries made in Brussels about 1528 (scenes from the life of SS Peter and Paul) after cartoons by Raphael; the Gallery of Mirrors; the Appartamento del Paradiso, from which there are beautiful views of the lakes. On the ground floor are the rooms occupied by Isabella d'Este, the Gabinetti Isabelliani, with richly sculptured ceilings.