Palazzo Te: Giulio Romano's masterpiece, in the heart of Mantua

02Dec

Palazzo Te: Giulio Romano's masterpiece, in the heart of Mantua

Category What see Lake Garda and Verona

What to see in Palazzo Te, a magnificent building in Mantua built by Giulio Romano at the behest of the Gonzagas.

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History
The Halls of Palazzo Te
Museum and Exhibitions at Palazzo Te
Visit Palazzo Te

Palazzo Te, located in Mantua, is one of the best-known masterpieces of the architect Giulio Romano. The building was built between 1525 and 1534 by the will of Federico II di Gonzaga, in honor of his lover Isabella Boschetti and to amaze the many guests, starting with the Emperor Charles V, who came to confer the Ducal crown on him. Palazzo Te was a grandiose suburban villa intended for leisure, parties and receptions of the Corte dei Gonzaga.

History

The Palazzo Ducale of Mantua, held the role of the Gonzaga headquarters in Mantua, while < b> Palazzo Te, was commissioned by Federico II di Gonzaga as a training place for his horses. The Palace, in fact, contains the most ancient walls, belonging to a building once used as a stable.
The project was entrusted to Giulio Romano, who conceived it on a square plan, in the center of which there is a large courtyard with the same shape. This, resumes that of the ancient Roman domus, where the various rooms are distributed around a central courtyard. Fruttiere and Esedra are of subsequent construction ('600). The northern wing of the palace, which leads to the Te gardens, is the old Gonzaga stable.

The Halls of Palazzo Te

Inside Palazzo Te, there is the opportunity to visit the most famous rooms: Sala dei Giganti, accompanied by a fresco that covers the entire surface of the room, also known as "Fall of the Giants"; the Hall of the Horses, the largest in Palazzo Te, whose task was to host dance parties; the Chamber of Cupid and Psyche, intended for banquets. Each room, hall or room of Palazzo Te is characterized by a particular theme.
The first rooms constituted, at the time, Isabella Boschetti's apartment and included:

Room of Metamorphosis, which has frescoes with mythological scenes on the walls.
Room of the Sun and the Moon, where the painting is located in the center of the vault, surrounded by 192 stucco coves. Apollo is driving the chariot of the Sun.
Chamber of Enterprises, which shows on shields, 14 enterprises of the Gonzaga family.

The Loggia of the Muses then leads to Frederick II's apartment, inside which there are:

Sala dei Cavalli, the largest room in Palazzo Te, shows on its walls six steeds that belonged to the Duke. There are also fake bas-reliefs depicting the labors of Hercules and fake statues in the niches with the exploits dear to Frederick II: the Salamander and Olympus.
Chamber of Cupid and Psyche: through representations in the gaps in the ceiling and in the lunettes of the walls, it recounts the episodes of the myth. There is also an inscription in Latin along the walls, which explains the reason for the construction of the building itself: "for honest idleness and restoring the soul in tranquility".
The Room of the Eagles, the smallest of the palace, was used by the duke as a bedroom. The name derives from the presence of four eagles placed in the corners, also present in the coat of arms of the Gonzaga themselves.
Chamber of the Winds: this has several masks depicting faces that blow, thus representing the winds.

The Loggia di Davide, which serves as an entrance and allows you to continue into the representative apartment, contains frescoes related to the Story of King David.
the representative apartment, on the other hand, is made up of:

The Chamber of the Emperors, which in its vault represents the most famous leaders of antiquity.
The Chamber of the Giants, on the walls of which, you can observe the collapse of the tower that the Giants had built to reach the Olympus of the Gods to Dethrone Jupiter, who is represented while shooting lightning on while he is surrounded by the other gods, afraid.

The apartment of the Secret Garden and the Fruttiere, recently restored, finally complete the large garden of the Esedra.

Museum and Exhibitions at Palazzo Te

Palazzo Te, today, is the seat of the Civic Museum of the International Center of Art and Culture of Palazzo Te. Here, in fact, exhibitions and important exhibitions are periodically organized and today it hosts four collections: