Editing Mantua

{{Short description|City in Lombardy, Italy}}
{{Redirect|Mantova|other uses|Mantova (disambiguation)|and|Mantua (disambiguation)}}
{{dist|Nantua}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
|name =Mantua
|native_name ={{native name|it|Mantova}}<br />{{native name|lmo|Mantua}}
|official_name =Comune di Mantova
| image_skyline = Dsc 1150 Mantua.jpg
| imagesize =
| image_alt =
|image_flag=Flag of Mantua.svg| image_caption = Panorama of Mantua
| image_shield = Mantova-Stemma.svg
| shield_alt =
| coordinates = {{coord|45|9|23|N|10|47|30|E|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| region = [[Lombardy]]
| province = [[Province of Mantua|Mantua]] (MN)
| frazioni = Castelletto Borgo, Cittadella, Formigosa, Frassino, Gambarara, Lunetta, Virgiliana
| mayor_party = [[Democratic Party (Italy)|PD]]
| mayor = [[Mattia Palazzi]]
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 63.97
| population_footnotes =
| population_total = 48353
| population_as_of = 31 June 2009
| pop_density_footnotes =
| population_demonym = * Mantovano <small>(plural: mantovani)</small>
* Virgiliano <small>(plural: virgiliani)</small>
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 19
| twin1 =
| twin1_country =
|istat=| saint = [[Anselm of Lucca|Saint Anselm]]
| day = 18 March
| postal_code = 46100
| area_code = 0376
| website = {{URL|www.comune.mantova.it/}}
| footnotes =
}}

'''Mantua''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|æ|n|tj|u|ə}} {{respell|MAN|tew|ə}}; {{langx|it|Mantova}} {{IPA|it|ˈmantova||It-Mantova.ogg}}; [[Lombard language|Lombard]] and {{langx|la|Mantua}}) is a ''[[comune]]'' (municipality) in the Italian region of [[Lombardy]], and capital of the [[Province of Mantua|eponymous province]].

In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture".{{cn|date=July 2024}} In 2017, it was named as the "European Capital of Gastronomy",{{cn|date=July 2024}} included in the Eastern Lombardy District (together with the cities of [[Bergamo]], [[Brescia]], and [[Cremona]]).

In 2008, Mantua's ''centro storico'' (old town) and the nearby {{lang | it | comune}} of [[Sabbioneta]] were declared by [[UNESCO]] to be a [[World Heritage Site]]. Mantua's historic power and influence under the [[House of Gonzaga|Gonzaga family]] between 1328 and 1708 made it one of the main artistic, [[culture|cultural]], and especially musical hubs of Northern Italy and of Italy as a whole. It had one of the most splendid courts of Europe of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and early seventeenth centuries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mantua {{!}} Encyclopedia.com |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/places/spain-portugal-italy-greece-and-balkans/italian-political-geography/mantua |access-date=2020-10-07 |website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref> Mantua is noted for its significant role in the history of [[opera]]; the city is also known for its architectural treasures and artifacts, elegant palaces, and the medieval and [[Renaissance]] cityscape. It is the city where the composer [[Claudio Monteverdi|Monteverdi]] premiered his 1607 opera ''[[L'Orfeo]]''. It is the nearest town to the birthplace of the Roman classical poet [[Virgil]], who is commemorated by a statue at the lakeside park "Piazza Virgiliana".

Mantua is surrounded on three sides by artificial [[lake]]s, created during the 12th century as the city's defence system. These lakes receive water from the [[Mincio|River Mincio]], a tributary of the [[Po (river)|River Po]], which descends from [[Lake Garda]]. The three lakes are called ''Lago Superiore'', ''Lago di Mezzo'', and ''Lago Inferiore'' ("Upper", "Middle", and "Lower" Lakes, respectively). A fourth lake, Lake Pajolo, which once served as a defensive water ring around the city, dried up at the end of the 18th century.

The area and its environs are important not only in naturalistic terms, but also [[anthropology|anthropologically]] and historically; research has highlighted a number of human settlements scattered between Barche di [[Solferino]] and Bande di [[Cavriana]], Castellaro, and Isolone del Mincio. These dated, without interruption, from [[Neolithic]] times (5th–4th millennium BC) to the [[Bronze Age]] (2nd–1st millennium BC) and the [[Gauls|Gallic]] phases (2nd–1st centuries BC), and ended with Roman residential settlements, which can be traced to the 3rd&nbsp;century AD.

In 2017, [[Legambiente]] ranked Mantua as the best Italian city for quality of life and environment.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.legambiente.it/ecosistema-urbano/|title=Ecosistema Urbano ⋆ Legambiente |date=29 October 2018}}</ref>

== Geography ==
Mantua lies in the east of the [[regions of Italy | region]] of [[Lombardy]], halfway between [[Milan]] and [[Venice]], on the River [[Mincio]]. It is south of [[Verona]], east of [[Cremona]], north-east of [[Parma]], northwest of [[Ferrara]], and west-southwest of [[Padua]].

==History==
{{See also|Duchy of Mantua}}
{{For timeline}}

Mantua was an island settlement which was first established about the year 2000 BC on the banks of River [[Mincio]], which flows from [[Lake Garda]] to the [[Adriatic Sea]]. In the 6th century BC, Mantua was an [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] village which, in the Etruscan tradition, was re-founded by [[Ocnus]].<ref>Fagles, Robert, ed.: ''The Aeneid'' (2006), 10.242, Penguin Group, {{ISBN|0-670-03803-2}}</ref><ref>Lucchini, Daniele: ''Rise and fall of a capital. The history of Mantua in the words of who wrote about it'' (2013), {{ISBN|978-1-291-78388-9}}</ref>

The name may derive from the Etruscan god [[Mantus]]. After being conquered by the [[Cenomani (Cisalpine Gaul)|Cenomani]], a [[Gaul|Gallic]] tribe, Mantua was subsequently fought between the first and second [[Punic wars]] against the [[Rome|Romans]], who attributed its name to [[Manto (mythology)|Manto]], a daughter of [[Tiresias]]. This territory was later populated by veteran soldiers of [[Augustus]]. Mantua's most famous ancient citizen is the poet [[Virgil]], or Publius Vergilius Maro (''Mantua me genuit''), who was born in the year 70 BC at a village near the city which is now known as Virgilio.<ref>Conte, Gian Biagio. Trans. Joseph B. Solodow ''Latin Literature: A History'' Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994.</ref>

===After the Fall of the Roman Empire===
After the fall of the [[Western Roman Empire]] at the hands of [[Odoacer]] in 476&nbsp;AD, Mantua was, along with the rest of Italy, conquered by the [[Ostrogothic Kingdom|Ostrogoths]]. It was retaken by the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empire]] in the middle of the 6th century following the [[Gothic War (535–554)|Gothic war]] but was subsequently lost again to the [[Kingdom of the Lombards|Lombards]]. They were in turn conquered by [[Charlemagne]] in 774, thus incorporating Mantua into the [[Frankish Empire]]. Partitions of the empire (due to the Franks' use of [[partible inheritance]]) in the [[Treaty of Verdun|Treaties of Verdun]] and [[Treaty of Prüm|Prüm]] led to Mantua passing to [[Middle Francia]] in 843, then the [[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|Kingdom of Italy]] in 855. In 962 Italy was invaded by King [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I]] of [[Kingdom of Germany|Germany]], and Mantua thus became a vassal of the newly formed [[Holy Roman Empire]].

In the 11th century, Mantua became a possession of [[Boniface of Canossa]], [[Marquess|marquis]] of [[March of Tuscany|Tuscany]]. The last ruler of that family was the countess [[Matilda of Tuscany|Matilda of Canossa]] (d. 1115), who, according to legend, ordered the construction of the precious [[Rotonda di San Lorenzo]] (or St. Lawrence's Roundchurch) in 1082. The Rotonda still exists today and was renovated in 2013.

==== Free Imperial City of Mantua ====
After the death of Matilda of Canossa, Mantua became a [[Free Imperial City|free]] [[medieval commune|commune]] and strenuously defended itself from the influence of the Holy Roman Empire during the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1198, Alberto Pitentino altered the course of River Mincio, creating what the Mantuans call "the four lakes" to reinforce the city's natural protection. Three of these lakes still remain today and the fourth one, which ran through the centre of town, was reclaimed during the 18th century.

====Podesteria Rule====

[[File:Domenico morone, la cacciata dei bonacolsi da mantova, 1494.jpg|thumb|''Expulsion of the Bonacolsi in 1328, scene of Piazza Sordello'', canvas of [[Domenico Morone]]]]
From 1215, the city was ruled under the ''[[podestà|podesteria]]'' of the Guelph poet-statesman [[Rambertino Buvalelli]].

During the struggle between the Guelphs and the [[Ghibellines]], Pinamonte Bonacolsi took advantage of the chaotic situation to seize power of the podesteria in 1273. He was declared the ''Captain General of the People''. The [[Bonacolsi]] family ruled Mantua for the next two generations and made it more prosperous and artistically beautiful. On 16 August 1328 Luigi Gonzaga, an official in Bonacolsi's podesteria, and his family staged a public revolt in Mantua and forced a [[coup d'état]] on the last Bonacolsi ruler, Rinaldo.

===House of Gonzaga===

[[File:Andrea Mantegna 058.jpg|thumb|[[Ludovico III Gonzaga]] receiving the news of his son [[Francesco Gonzaga (1444–1483)|Francesco]] being created a cardinal, fresco by [[Andrea Mantegna]] in the Stanza degli Sposi of [[Palazzo Ducale di Mantova|Palazzo Ducale]]]]
Ludovico Gonzaga, who had been [[Podestà]] of Mantua since 1318, was duly elected '''Capitano del popolo'''. The Gonzagas built new walls with five gates and renovated the city in the 14th century; however, the political situation did not settle until the governance of the third ruler of Gonzaga, [[Ludovico III Gonzaga]], who eliminated his relatives and centralised power to himself. During the Italian Renaissance, the Gonzaga family softened their despotic rule and further raised the level of culture and refinement in Mantua.<ref>Henry S. Lucas, ''The Renaissance and the Reformation'' (Harper & Bros. Publishers: New York, 1960) pp. 42–43.</ref> Mantua became a significant center of Renaissance art and humanism. Marquis [[Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua|Gianfrancesco Gonzaga]] had brought [[Vittorino da Feltre]] to Mantua in 1423 to open his famous humanist school, the Casa Giocosa.

[[Isabella d'Este]], Marchioness of Mantua, married Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of [[March of Mantua|Mantua]] in 1490. When she moved to Mantua from [[Ferrara]] (she was the daughter of [[Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara|Duke Ercole]] the ruler of [[Duchy of Ferrara|Ferrara]]) she created her famous [[studiolo]] firstly in [[Castello di San Giorgio]] for which she commissioned paintings from [[Andrea Mantegna|Mantegna]], [[Perugino]] and [[Lorenzo Costa]]. She later moved her studiolo to the Corte Vecchia and commissioned two paintings from [[Correggio]] to join the five from Castello di San Giorgio. It was unusual for a woman to have a studiolo in 15th century Italy given they were regarded as masculine spaces. Isabella was a vociferous collector and such was her reputation that Niccolò da Corregio called her 'la prima donna del mondo'.

Through a payment of 120,000 golden [[Italian coin florin|florins]] in 1433, [[Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga|Gianfrancesco I]] was appointed Marquis of Mantua by the [[Emperor Sigismund]], whose niece [[Barbara of Brandenburg, Marquise of Mantua|Barbara of Brandenburg]] married his son, Ludovico. In 1459, [[Pope Pius II]] held the [[Council of Mantua (1459)|Council of Mantua]] to proclaim a crusade against the [[Ottoman Empire|Turks]]. Under Ludovico and his heirs, the famous [[Renaissance]] painter [[Andrea Mantegna]] worked in Mantua as court painter, producing some of his most outstanding works.

====Duchy of Mantua====

[[File:Palazzo Te Mantova 4.jpg|thumb|[[Palazzo del Te|Palazzo Te]]]]
The first Duke of [[Duchy of Mantua|Mantua]] was [[Federico II Gonzaga]], who acquired the title from the Holy Roman Emperor [[Emperor Charles V|Charles V]] in 1530. Federico commissioned [[Giulio Romano (painter)|Giulio Romano]] to build the famous [[Palazzo Te]], on the periphery of the city, and profoundly improved the city. In the late 16th century, [[Claudio Monteverdi]] came to Mantua from his native Cremona. He worked for the court of [[Vincenzo I Gonzaga]], first as a singer and violist, then as music director, marrying the court singer Claudia Cattaneo in 1599.

===From Gonzaga to Habsburg===

In 1627, the direct line of the Gonzaga family came to an end with the vicious and weak [[Vincenzo II Gonzaga|Vincenzo II]], and Mantua slowly declined under the new rulers, the [[Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat|Gonzaga-Nevers]], a cadet French branch of the family. The [[War of the Mantuan Succession]] broke out, and in 1630 an [[Holy Roman Empire|Imperial]] army of 36,000 mercenaries under [[Matthias Gallas]] and [[Johann von Aldringen]] besieged and sacked Mantua, bringing the plague with them. [[Charles IV, Duke of Mantua|Ferdinand Carlo IV]], an inept ruler, whose only interest was in holding parties and theatrical shows, allied with France in the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]. After the French defeat, he took refuge in [[Venice]] and carried with him a thousand pictures. At his death in 1708, the Duke of Mantua was declared deposed and his family of Gonzaga lost Mantua forever in favour of the [[Habsburg]]s of Austria.

Under Austrian rule, Mantua enjoyed a revival and during this period the Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, the Scientific Theatre, and numerous palaces were built.

====Napoleonic Wars====

In 1786, ten years before [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]'s campaign in Italy, the Austrian Duchy of Mantua briefly united with the [[Duchy of Milan]] until 1791.

On 4 June 1796 during the [[War of the First Coalition]], Mantua was [[Siege of Mantua (1796–97)|besieged]] by [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]'s French army. The first Austrian attempt to break the siege was successful and the siege was abandoned on 1 August. The Austrian army was defeated at the [[Battle of Castiglione]] on 5 August and left the area.<ref name=Smith>{{cite book|last=Smith |first=Digby |authorlink=Digby Smith |title=The Napoleonic Wars Data Book |year=1998 |location=London |publisher=Greenhill |isbn=1-85367-276-9 |pages=118–119}}</ref> The French resumed the siege on August 27 and accepted surrender of the city on 2 February 1797.<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith |first=Digby |authorlink=Digby Smith |title=The Napoleonic Wars Data Book |year=1998 |location=London |publisher=Greenhill |isbn=1-85367-276-9 |pages=132–133}}</ref> The city was recaptured by the Austrians in the [[War of the Second Coalition]] after a [[Siege of Mantua (1799)|siege]] lasting from 8 April to 28 July 1799.<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith |first=Digby |authorlink=Digby Smith |title=The Napoleonic Wars Data Book |year=1998 |location=London |publisher=Greenhill |isbn=1-85367-276-9 |page=161}}</ref>

Later, the city again passed into Napoleon's control and became a part of Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy. In 1810 [[Andreas Hofer]] was shot by Porta Giulia, a gate of the town at Borgo di Porto (Cittadella) for leading the insurrection in the [[County of Tyrol]] against Napoleon.

====Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia====

After the brief period of French rule, Mantua returned to Austria in 1814, becoming one of the [[Quadrilatero]] fortress cities in northern Italy. Under the [[Congress of Vienna (1815)]], Mantua became a province in the Austrian Empire's [[Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia]]. Agitation against Austria, however, culminated in a revolt which lasted from 1851 to 1855, but it was finally suppressed by the Austrian army. One of the most famous episodes of the Italian [[Risorgimento]] took place in the valley of the Belfiore, where a group of rebels was hanged by the Austrians.

===Unification of Italy===
{{See also|Plebiscite of Veneto of 1866}}
At the [[Battle of Solferino]] ([[Second Italian War of Independence]]) in 1859, the [[House of Savoy]]'s Piedmont-Sardinia sided with the French Emperor [[Napoleon III]] against the Austrian Empire. Following Austria's defeat, Lombardy was ceded to France, who transferred Lombardy to Piedmont-Sardinia in return for [[Nice]] and [[Savoy]].
[[File:Seconda inaugurazione del monumento a i martiri di belfiore.jpg|thumb|Mantua in 1887]]

Mantua, although a constituent province of Lombardy, still remained under the Austrian Empire along with Venetia. In 1866, Prussia-led [[North German Confederation]] sided with the newly established, Piedmont-led Kingdom of Italy against the Austrian Empire in the [[Third Italian War of Independence]]. The quick defeat of Austria led to its withdrawal of the Kingdom of Venetia (including the capital city, [[Venice]]). Mantua reconnected with the region of Lombardy and was [[Plebiscite of Veneto of 1866|incorporated]] into the [[Italian Unification|Kingdom of Italy]].

===20th century===
During [[World War II]], in November 1943, Nazi Germany relocated the Stalag 337 [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camp]] from [[Lyasnaya, Brest Region|Leśna]] in [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|German-occupied Poland]] to Mantua.<ref name=ushm/> The camp was dissolved in February 1944, and in April 1944 the Dulag 339 transit camp for British, Italian, American, French, Greek and Yugoslav POWs was established in its place, and remained operational until April 1945.<ref name=ushm>{{cite book|last1=Megargee|first1=Geoffrey P.|last2=Overmans|first2=Rüdiger|last3=Vogt|first3=Wolfgang|year=2022|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|pages=118, 333–334|isbn=978-0-253-06089-1}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations|3=1871|4=33783|5=1881|6=35727|7=1901|8=36449|9=1911|10=39560|11=1921|12=43879|13=1931|14=47840|15=1936|16=46620|17=1951|18=53810|19=1961|20=62411|21=1971|22=65703|23=1981|24=60866|25=1991|26=53065|27=2001|28=47790|29=2011|30=46649|31=2021|32=48441|footnote=Source: [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]|cols=3|align=none}}

==Monuments and sites of interest==
[[File:Lombardia Mantova1 tango7174.jpg|thumb|center|800px|Piazza Sordello.]]
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| Part_of = Mantua and [[Sabbioneta]]
| Image = Mantua2 BMK.jpg
| Criteria = Cultural: ii, iii
| ID = 1287-001
| Year = 2008
| Area = 175ha
| Buffer_zone = 1,900 ha
}}
[[File:MANTOVApiazzaerbe.jpg|thumb|Piazza delle Erbe.]]
[[File:Mantova - Profilo di Mantova.jpg|thumb|Panorama of Mantua.]]
[[File:Museo diocesano "Francesco Gonzaga", Mantua.jpg|thumb|Museum Francesco Gonzaga.]]
The Gonzagas protected the arts and culture, and were hosts to several important artists such as [[Leone Battista Alberti]], [[Andrea Mantegna]], [[Giulio Romano (painter)|Giulio Romano]], [[Donatello]], [[Peter Paul Rubens]], [[Pisanello]], [[Domenico Fetti]], [[Luca Fancelli]], and Nicolò Sebregondi. Though many of the masterworks have been dispersed, the cultural value of Mantua is nonetheless outstanding, with many of Mantua's patrician and ecclesiastical buildings being uniquely important examples of Italian architecture.

=== Religious architecture and sites ===
* ''[[Basilica di Sant'Andrea di Mantova|Basilica of Sant'Andrea]]'' was begun in 1462 according to designs by [[Leon Battista Alberti]] but was finished only in the 18th century when was built the massive dome designed by [[Filippo Juvarra]].
* ''[[Duomo di Mantova|Duomo]]'' (Cathedral of St Peter the Apostle)
* ''[[Rotonda di San Lorenzo]]''
* ''[[San Sebastiano (Mantua)|Church of San Sebastiano]]''
* ''Museo diocesano Francesco Gonzaga'', art museum displaying sacred artworks, armor, coins, tapestries, pottery, ancient and contemporary paintings. 
* ''Santa Paola'', church built in the early 15th century by the will of Marchioness [[House of Malatesta|Paola Malatesta]], wife of [[Francesco I Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua|Francesco I]]. Architects such as [[Luca Fancelli]] and [[Giulio Romano (painter)|Giulio Romano]] collaborated to its construction. It houses the tombs of five members of the Gonzaga family, including those of Paola and of [[Francesco II Gonzaga|Francesco II]].
* ''Santa Maria del Gradaro'', church built starting from 1256 on the site where, according to the tradition, [[Saint Longinus]] was buried. In 1772 it became a store, and was reconsecrated only in the 1950s.

===Secular architecture and sites===
* ''[[Palazzo Te]]'' (1525–1535), semi-rural palace of [[Giulio Romano (painter)|Giulio Romano]]<ref name=Guardian1 >Brunton, John (29 March 2013). 
 [https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/mar/29/mantua-italy-sleeping-beauty-city-break "Mantua: Italy's sleeping beauty city."] ''[[The Guardian]]''. Retrieved 24 November 2019.</ref> (who lived in Mantua in his final years) in the mature [[Renaissance]] style, with some hints of a post-[[Raffaello Santi|Raphaelian]] [[mannerism]]. It was the summer residential villa of [[Frederick II of Gonzaga]]. It hosts the Museo Civico (with the donations of [[Arnoldo Mondadori]], one of the most important Italian publishers, and Ugo Sissa, a Mantuan architect who worked in [[Iraq]] from where he brought back important [[Mesopotamia]]n artworks).
* ''[[Palazzo Ducale di Mantova|Palazzo Ducale]]'', famous residence of the Gonzaga family, made up of a number of buildings, courtyards and gardens<ref name=Guardian1 /> gathered around the ''Palazzo del Capitano'', the Magna Domus and the [[Castello di San Giorgio|Castle of St. George]] with the [[Camera degli Sposi]], a room frescoed by [[Andrea Mantegna]].
* ''Palazzo Vescovile'' ("Bishops Palace")
* ''Palazzo degli Uberti''
* ''[[Palazzo d'Arco, Mantua|Palazzo d'Arco]]'', a Neoclassical palace erected by the eponymous noble family from Trento starting from 1746. It is home to a museum and painting gallery with works by [[Bernardino Luini]], [[Alessandro Magnasco]], [[Frans Pourbus the Younger]], [[Anthony van Dyck]] and a painting cycle by [[Giuseppe Bazzani]].
* ''Torre della Gabbia'' ("Cage Tower")
* ''[[Palazzo del Podestà, Mantua]]'' 
* ''Palazzo della Ragione'' with the ''[[Torre dell'Orologio, Mantua|Torre dell'Orologio]]''
* ''[[Palazzo Bonacolsi]]''
* ''Palazzo Valenti Gonzaga'', an example of Baroque architecture and decoration, with frescoes attributed to Flemish painter [[Frans Geffels]]. The façade of the palace was designed by Nicolò Sebregondi.
* ''[[Teatro Bibiena|Bibiena Theater]]'', also known as the ''Teatro Scientifico'', designed by [[Antonio Bibiena]] in 1767–1769. Inaugurated officially on 3 December 1769 and on 16 January 1770, thirteen-year-old [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] played a concert.
* ''Casa del Mercato'', a frescoed Renaissance building designed by [[Luca Fancelli]] in 1462 and later used by Andrea Mantegna.
* ''House of Mantegna'', facing the church of San Sebastiano. It was built by the eponymous artist starting from 1476, and has plan with a circular internal court included within an external square building. It is now used for temporary exhibitions.

==Transport==
===Car===
By car, Mantova can be reached on the A4 (Milan-Venice) Highway up to Verona, then the [[Autostrada A22 (Italy)|A22]] ([[Brennero Pass|Brennero]]-[[Modena]]) Highway. Alternatively, the city can be reached from Milan on the State Road 415 (Milan-Cremona) to Cremona and from there State Road 10 (Cremona-Mantova), or from Verona on the State Road 62.

===Railway===
[[Mantova railway station]], opened in 1873, lies on the train routes of [[Milan]]-[[Codogno]]-[[Cremona]]-Mantua and [[Verona]]-Mantua-[[Modena]]. The station is a terminus for three regional lines, to [[Cremona]] and [[Milan Centrale railway station|Milan]], to [[Monselice]], and to [[Verona Porta Nuova railway station|Verona Porta Nuova]] and [[Modena railway station|Modena]]. [[Trenitalia]] operates a daily high-speed connection with [[Rome]].

===Air===
The closest airport is [[Verona-Villafranca]] Airport. The direct shuttle bus service running to and from Mantova railway station was canceled on 1 January 2015. Public connection is now provided by the airport bus running to and from Verona Porta Nuova railway station, and the Verona-Mantova railway line.

===Bus===
Local bus services, ''urbano'' (within the city area and suburbs) and ''interurbano'' (within the surrounding towns and villages) are provided by APAM.

==Cuisine==
{{main|Cuisine of Mantua}}

==Miscellaneous==
* An annual survey of Legambiente (an ecologist movement of Italy) in 2005 declared Mantua the most 'liveable' city of the country. The study was based on levels of pollution, quality of life, traffic, and public transport, among other criteria.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.corriere.it/english/articoli/2005/11_Novembre/22/mantova.shtml|title=Corriere.it|website=www.corriere.it}}</ref>
* The body of [[Saint Longinus]], twice recovered and lost, was asserted to have been found once more at Mantua in 1304, together with the Holy Sponge stained with Christ's blood.
* The composer [[Claudio Monteverdi]] was employed by [[Vincenzo I Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua|Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua]], ruler of the [[Duchy of Mantua]], when he wrote the ''[[Vespro della Beata Vergine]]'', published in 1610. Vincenzo's son and successor in 1612, [[Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua]], summarily sacked Monteverdi, who went on to a more prestigious position at the Basilica of [[San Marco, Venice]].
* Since 1997 Mantua has hosted the [[Festivaletteratura]], one of the most renowned literary events in Europe.
* In 2007 the remains of two people, known as the [[Lovers of Valdaro]], were discovered during the construction of a factory. The remains are thought to be between 5000 and 6000&nbsp;years old. It is speculated that the remains are of two young lovers because the two skeletons appear to be embracing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=29&ContentID=20853|title=Prehistoric Romeo and Juliet discovered : thewest.com.au|date=27 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927192658/http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=29&ContentID=20853|archive-date=2007-09-27}}</ref>
* In May 2012, a deadly earthquake struck Northern Italy, causing damage to some historic buildings in Mantua, including the Palazzo Ducale. After months of repair, the Palazzo reopened its doors in September 2012.
* The composer [[Antonio Vivaldi]] was employed by the governor of Mantua in the period 1718–1720. Mantua inspired him to write the Four Seasons and has been a city of note in Italy to enjoy the seasonal variations since.

==Government==
{{See also|List of mayors of Mantua}}
Since local government political reorganization in 1993, Mantua has been governed by the City Council of Mantua. Voters elect directly 33 councilors and the mayor of Mantua every five years. The current mayor of Mantua is [[Mattia Palazzi]] ([[Democratic Party (Italy)|PD]]), elected on 15 June 2015.

==International relations==

===Twin towns — sister cities===
Mantua is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Gemellaggi|url=https://www.comune.mantova.gov.it/index.php/cultura/mantova-citta-di-cultura/gemellaggi|website=comune.mantova.gov.it|publisher=Mantova|language=it|access-date=2019-12-16}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Charleville-Mézières]], France, since 1959
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Nevers]], France, since 1959
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Pushkin, Saint Petersburg|Pushkin]], Russia, since 1993
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Weingarten, Württemberg|Weingarten]], Germany, since 1998
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]], U.S., since 2001
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Ōmihachiman]], Japan, since 2005
*{{flagicon|ROU}} [[Oradea]], Romania, since 2005
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
[[File:Baldassare Castiglione de Raphael.JPG|thumb|140px|[[Baldassare Castiglione]] by [[Raphael]] at [[Louvre-Lens]]]]
[[File:Targaflorio23nuvola.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Tazio Nuvolari]], 1932]]
[[File:BnF ms. 12473 fol. 109 - Sordel de Mantoue (1).jpg|thumb|140px|[[Sordello]]]]
[[File:Parco della Grotta di Posillipo5 (crop).jpg|thumb|140px|[[Virgil]]]]
* [[Andrea Andreani]] (1540–1623), engraver on wood. He used [[chiaroscuro]].<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Andreani, Andrea | volume= 1 | page = 971 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Marcus Antonius Antimachus]] ({{circa|1473}} – 1552), pioneer of Renaissance Greek language teaching
* [[Giovanni Battista Bertani]] (1516–1576), architect
* [[Giacomo Benefatti]] (1304–1332), Roman Catholic Bishop
* [[Constanzo Beschi]] (1680–1742), a well known Tamil poet. He is known as Vīramāmunivar in Tamil.
* [[Saverio Bettinelli]] (1718–1808), Jesuit writer, polymath, dramatist, polemicist, poet, and literary critic<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Bettinelli, Saverio | volume= 3 | page = 832 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Baldassare Castiglione]] (1478–1529), count of Casatico, courtier, diplomat, soldier and author<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Castiglione, Baldassare | volume= 5 | page = 474 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Gino Fano]] (1871–1952), mathematician
* [[Matteo Cressoni]] (born 1984), racing driver
* [[Federigo Giambelli]] (16th & 17th C.), military and civil engineer. He worked in Spain.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Giambelli, Federigo | volume= 11 | page = 925 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Aloysius Gonzaga|St. Aloysius Gonzaga]] (1568–1591), aristocrat and Jesuit
* [[Pietro Giovanni Guarneri]] (1655–1720), violin maker of the [[Guarneri|Guarneri family]]. He left Cremona in 1679, eventually establishing himself in Mantua.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Guarnieri | volume= 12 | page = 660; see line 5 |quote=Another son of Andreas, Peter (Pietro Giovanni), commonly known as “Peter of Cremona” (b. 1655), moved from Cremona and settled at Mantua....|short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Learco Guerra]] (1902–1963), professional road racing cyclist. In 1931 he won the [[UCI World Championships|world cycling championship]].
* [[Alfredo Guzzoni]] (1877–1965), Italian Army General in [[World War II]]
* [[Alberto Jori]] (born 1965), neo-aristotelian philosopher
* [[Lovers of Valdaro]], a pair of human skeletons dated approx 6,000 years old
* [[Claudio Monteverdi]] ({{circa|1567}} – 1643), composer and violist to the duke of Mantua<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Monteverde, Claudio | volume= 18 | page = 778 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Marzio Moretti]] (born 2002), racing driver
* [[Tazio Nuvolari]] (1892–1953), motorcycle and racecar driver
* [[Ippolito Nievo]] (1831–1861), writer, journalist and patriot
* [[Elisabetta Picenardi]] (1428–1468), Italian Roman Catholic, Servite Order professed member
* [[Dave Rodgers]] (born 1963), musician and singer
* [[Jean-Louis Preti]] (Jean-Louis Preti), musician and chess writer
* [[Pietro Pomponazzi]] (1462–1525), Italian philosopher. He is sometimes known by his Latin name, ''Petrus Pomponatius''.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle = Pomponazzi, Pietro |volume=22 |last1= Mitchell |first1= John Malcolm |author1-link= |page=58|short=1}}</ref>
* [[Samuel Romanelli]] (1757–1814), [[Jews|Jewish]] intellectual and travel writer who published the first modern ethnography of Moroccan Jewry
* [[Salamone Rossi]] ({{circa|1570}} – 1630), Jewish violinist and composer who served as concertmaster of the Mantua court from 1587 until 1628
* [[Pope Pius X|Giuseppe Sarto]] (1835–1914), appointed [[Bishop]] in 1884, before he became [[Pope Pius X]] in 1903
* [[Stefano Scarampella]] (1843–1925), violin maker. He left [[Brescia]] and moved to Mantua in 1886.
*[[Ada Sacchi Simonetta]] (1874–1944), librarian and women's rights activist
* [[Leone de' Sommi]] ({{circa|1525}} – {{circa|1590}}), theater director and writer
* [[Sordello]] or Sordel, a 13th-century [[Lombardy|Lombard]] [[troubadour]], born in the municipality of [[Goito]] in the province of Mantua<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Sordello | volume= 25 | page = 431 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Franca Sozzani]] (1950–2016), editor-in-chief at [[Vogue Italia]]
* [[Virgil]] (70 BCE – 19 BCE), a classical Roman poet, born near Mantua<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Virgil | volume= 28 | pages = 111&ndash;116 |short= 1}}</ref>

==In fiction==
* In [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', Romeo is punished for killing [[Tybalt]]: he is exiled from Verona to Mantua. The plan was for both Romeo and Juliet to escape Verona after Juliet woke up from her fake death, but that never happened, because Romeo died, and she stabbed herself to death.
* In William Shakespeare's play ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'', the schoolmaster who pretends to be [[Lucentio]]'s father, Vincentio, is from Mantua. Hortensio is presented as "Licio, born in Mantua". Another character simply named "Pedant" states that he is from Mantua.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://shakespeare.mit.edu/taming_shrew/full.html|title = Taming of the Shrew: Entire Play}}</ref> 
* [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s opera ''[[Rigoletto]]'' (based on [[Victor Hugo]]'s play ''[[Le roi s'amuse]]'') is set in Mantua. Austro-Hungarian authorities in [[Venice]] forced him to move the action from France to Mantua. A medieval building with portico and 15th-century loggia in Mantua is said to be "Rigoletto's house". It was actually the house of the cathedral regulars. It was chosen by the Gonzaga family as the residence of the legendary fool who was then used by Verdi in his opera.
* [[Netflix]]'s Italian mini-series [[The Trial (Italian TV series)|The Trial]] ({{langx|it|Il processo}}), released in Italy in 2019, was primarily filmed in Mantua. It was directed by [[Stefano Lodovichi]], and was created by [[Alessandro Fabbri (screenwriter)|Alessandro Fabbri]], in collaboration with Laura Colella and Enrico Audenino. It is the fictional story of the challenges faced by a local prosecutor as she takes up a murder case involving a local wealthy woman.

==Climate==

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location =  Mantua (1994–2017 normals, extreme 1828–present)
|Jan record high C = 18.5
|Feb record high C = 23.6
|Mar record high C = 27.4
|Apr record high C = 31.7
|May record high C = 35.2
|Jun record high C = 40.0
|Jul record high C = 40.0
|Aug record high C = 39.8
|Sep record high C = 35.4
|Oct record high C = 31.2
|Nov record high C = 22.4
|Dec record high C = 17.9
|Jan record low C = -16.8
|Feb record low C = -19.0
|Mar record low C = -7.3
|Apr record low C = -1.4
|May record low C = 1.6
|Jun record low C = 7.1
|Jul record low C = 10.5
|Aug record low C = 9.0
|Sep record low C = 6.0
|Oct record low C = -2.0
|Nov record low C = -6.3
|Dec record low C = -13.6
|Jan high C = 6.1
|Feb high C = 9.3
|Mar high C = 14.7
|Apr high C = 18.8
|May high C = 23.9
|Jun high C = 28.1
|Jul high C = 30.3
|Aug high C = 30.0
|Sep high C = 24.9
|Oct high C = 18.8
|Nov high C = 11.8
|Dec high C = 6.6
| year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 3.0
|Feb mean C = 5.1
|Mar mean C = 9.4
|Apr mean C = 13.6
|May mean C = 18.5
|Jun mean C = 22.5
|Jul mean C = 24.6
|Aug mean C = 24.2
|Sep mean C = 19.7
|Oct mean C = 14.6
|Nov mean C = 8.8
|Dec mean C = 3.9
| year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 0.0
|Feb low C = 0.8
|Mar low C = 4.1
|Apr low C = 8.4
|May low C = 13.2
|Jun low C = 16.9
|Jul low C = 18.9
|Aug low C = 18.4
|Sep low C = 14.4
|Oct low C = 10.5
|Nov low C = 5.7
|Dec low C = 1.3
| year low C = 
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 49
|Feb precipitation mm = 45
|Mar precipitation mm = 46
|Apr precipitation mm = 56
|May precipitation mm = 68
|Jun precipitation mm = 58
|Jul precipitation mm = 47
|Aug precipitation mm = 58
|Sep precipitation mm = 59
|Oct precipitation mm = 69
|Nov precipitation mm = 72
|Dec precipitation mm = 56
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 6
| Feb precipitation days = 6
| Mar precipitation days = 7
| Apr precipitation days = 8
| May precipitation days = 9
| Jun precipitation days = 7
| Jul precipitation days = 5
| Aug precipitation days = 5
| Sep precipitation days = 6
| Oct precipitation days = 7
| Nov precipitation days = 8
| Dec precipitation days = 7
| year precipitation days =
| source 1 = Climi e viaggi<ref name=Clim>{{cite web
| url = https://www.climieviaggi.it/clima/italia/mantova
| title = Clima - Mantova (Lombardia)
| publisher= Climi e viaggi
| access-date = 29 June 2024}}</ref>
| source 2 = Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (precipitation 1951–1980)<ref name=ISPRA>{{cite web
| url = https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/files/pubblicazioni/SA_55_14_Valori_climatici_normali.pdf
| title = Valori climatici normali di temperatura e precipitazione in Italia
| publisher= Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale
| access-date = 29 June 2024}}</ref> Temperature estreme in Toscana (extremes)<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://climaintoscana.altervista.org/italia/stazioni-storiche/mantova-la-specola/
|language = it
|title=Mantova La Specola
| publisher = Temperature estreme in Toscana
| access-date = 26 November 2024}}</ref>
}}

==See also==
* [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Mantova]]
* [[Rocca di Manerba del Garda]] (Lombardy)
* [[Guido Torelli]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Mantua#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Mantua}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Mantua}}
{{EB1911 Poster|Mantua}}
* {{Official website|http://www.comune.mantova.it/}}
* [http://www.mantovatourism.it/en/ Mantova Tourism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204164753/http://www.mantovatourism.it/en/ |date=2019-02-04 }}
* [http://www.centropalazzote.it/ Palazzo Te] (in Italian)
* [http://www.mantovaducale.beniculturali.it/ Palazzo Ducale] (in Italian)
* [http://www.a-mantova.com/ A Mantova] To know and to see Mantua
* [http://mantua-mantova.blogspot.com/ Tourist guide in Mantua] A native guide from Mantua
* [http://www.mantovaninelmondo.com/ Mantovani Nel Mondo] Page dedicated to Mantovani worldwide.
* [https://valesmonkeys.smugmug.com/Photography/Mantova-and-Sabbioneta/ Photo gallery made by a UNESCO photographer]
* [http://www.thecampanileproject.org/campanile/index.php/lombardia/mantova/mantova Mantua on The Campanile Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327190810/http://www.thecampanileproject.org/campanile/index.php/lombardia/mantova/mantova |date=2023-03-27 }}

{{Province of Mantua}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Italy}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mantua| ]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Lombardy]]
[[Category:Etruscan cities]]
[[Category:Roman towns and cities in Italy]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Italy]]