A spoon of Belgium in Mantua: the "Budino Belga"

There are some things you can easily imagine about the "Belgian Pudding": it is soft, it is delicious, it has a great taste of chocolate... but there is one thing you probably can not imagine: it is not Belgian!
The "Budino Belga" or "Dolce Belga" (i.e. "Belgian Pudding" or "Belgian Dessert") is a typical dish of the Mantuan gastronomic tradition, made with cream, eggs, vanilla, sugar, chocolate and a glass of cognac.
It is sure it has appeared in Mantua between the 20s and the 30s, but several different versions of the story go about its origin. Maybe it was invented by a belgian pastry chef, who moved in the city. Or maybe it was created for a visit of a Belgian Ambassador. According to the most trustable theory, the recepy was invented by the wife of a Mantuan horse trader, who was dealing for his business with belgian clients (yes: Mantua has a strong connection with horses, since the years of the Gonzaga Family!).
Whatever version of the story you prefer, this is something not to be missed!

In Mantua, looking for Romeo.

We are going to give a special tour for a group from the “Bryn Mawr Alumnae Association”. This visit will be a part of an extensive tour provided by International Seminar Design INC, focusing on Shakespeare’s Italy. The group will be led by Katherine Rowe, (Ph.D., Harvard), Professor of English, Director of the Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center and Director of Digital Research and Teaching. As the tour program says, Renaissance Italy looms in the imagination of Shakespeare and his contemporaries: nearly a third of Shakespeare’s plays and poems mention specific sites and events in the country, or adapt Italian sources and literary models. During the past, Italy offered to English writers a cultural model to admire, imitate, and seek to surpass. Modern Italy has returned the passion, making fictional Shakespearean settings into real pilgrimage sites. 

Mantua has been chosen as a step of this tour for three main circumstances:

• Mantua and the Forest of Mantua are specified settings in two Shakespeare plays: The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Act IV, scene 1 and Act V, scene 3), and Romeo and Juliet (Act V, scene 1).
• Giulio Romano, the architect and painter who designed, built and decorated Palazzo Te, has the distinction of being the only modern artist mentioned by Shakespeare: the Bard called him “that rare Italian Master” (The Winter’s Tale, V.2.96-8).
• Mantua has been used as a splendid movie set for the upcoming film adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. The tragedy has been adapted by the Oscar-winning director and writer Julian Fellowes, and the movie, directed by Carlo Carlei, is going to be a traditional version similar to Franco Zeffirelli’s adaptation of the tragedy. The cast includes hot stars-in-the-making such as Douglas Booth (Romeo), Hailee Steinfeld (Juliet) and Ed Westwick (Tybalt).The movie is going to be on the screens on the day of St. Valentine (14th February 2013).

Celebrating the Birthday of Isabella d'Este: Marchioness of Mantua and First Lady of the Renaissance

Isabella d’Este was born on May 17th, in the year 1474. Her birth is recorded in an illuminated manuscript – the Genealogy of the Princes of the Este Family: that book contains the very first portrait of Isabella, featuring here as a baby. Underneath her portrait these lines: “Isabella is the first legitimate daughter – and fourth natural child – of the Duke Hercules d’Este and his wife, Eleonor of Aragon. She was born on Tuesday 17th May, at half an hour after the first hour of the night”.

According to the Julian Calendar, Isabella was a Gemini, and her ascendant was Sagittarius. This zodiac sign appears on the reverse of the medal cast for Isabella by Giancristoforo Romano.

VisitMantua celebrates the anniversary of Isabella’s birth with a selection of the portraits of the “First Lady of the Renaissance”.

 

Anonymous Ferrarese illuminator – Giancristoforo Romano – Leonardo da Vinci
School of Leonardo – Anoymous cameo carver – Lorenzo Costa
Anyonimous Painter – Titian – Rubens

Do you want to know more about the woman, who  –  even during her lifetime – was named "The First Lady" of the Renaissance?
Contact us and discover through our professional services the beautiful and fascinating private rooms of Isabella in the Ducal Palace of Mantua. Or book your Tour via ToursByLocals. 

Pixar in Mantua: a Digital Renaissance

“Art challenges Technology. And Technology inspires Art”( John Lasseter).

This is the idea ruling the exhibition about the creative PIXAR talent,  revealing and investigating the making of the highly acclaimed animated films we have come to know so well.

Starting in the mid 1980s, an exceptional and inspiring trio of innovators, John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs, combined their gifts in art, science and business to launch a whole new approach to making 3-D animated films and ended up reshaping the face of filmmaking forever. Pixar Animation Studios was formed in 1986 in California, USA. It combines creative and technical artistry to create original stories in the medium of computer animation. Pixar made history in 1995 with Toy Story, the first fully computer animated feature film.

The exhibition in Palazzo Te features over 500 works by the artists at Pixar Animation Studios, including drawings, paintings, and sculptures that illustrate the creative process and craftsmanship behind Pixar’s wildly successful computer-animated films. The show spans all Pixar’s feature films (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille ,WALL*E, UP, Toy Story 3, Cars 2) together with all the short films and a preview of Brave, to be released in 2012.

On show also a sunning Zoetrope, showing how animation works.

We are planning a special guided tour to Palazzo Te and the Pixar Exhibition, contact us for information.

Admission Fees
Adult visitors  € 10,00
Visitors over 60, groups of 20 or more people  € 8,00
Visitors 6 to 17 yeas and college students  € 6,00
Mantova Card owners  € 4,50
Primary School classes € 2,50
Secondary and Upper school classes € 4,50

VisitMantua goes to the B2B Unesco Workshop

We are going to attend an educational workshop with professionals from 15 countries.

We'll meet 22 tour operators, coming from Japan, USA, Israel, Germany, Russia, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Danemark, Austria, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland.

The Educational Tour and the Workshop “UNESCO World Heritage sites and cities in Lombardy” are promoted by the Mantuan Chamber of Commerce, with the Lombardy Region and Unione Camere Lombardia.
From February 27th to March 4th, the representatives of the involved international Tour Operators will visit the sites and the cities in Lombardy, inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The educational tour will end up with a Workshop B2B meeting with local tourist operators. Including - of course! - VisitMantua.

Have a look to our brochure.

Open publication - Free publishing - More b2n

Like a Virgil, seen for the very first time

 

No other writer has had the reputation of Virgil. The celebrated author of the Aeneid, the Eclogues and the Georgics has been chosen by Dante as a guide in his Divine Comedy. Equally Virgil had a great influence on Petrarch and Boccaccio, Ariosto and Thomas Eliot, just mentioning few of the dozens of poets and writers who has been fascinated by the Mantuan classical poet. During the middle ages he was thought to be a sort of prophet, magician, tutelary deity.

An exhibition in Palazzo Te investigates the fame and the phisical features of the latin poet.
A famous mosaic found in the 1896, in which Virgil is portrayed between two Muses, will show you the most ancient surviving portrait of the Poet. For the very first time this mosaic - lent by the Bardo Museum in Tunis - is exhibited out of Tunisia.

Starting from a testimony so ancient and unattainable, the exhibition is going to follow the portraiture of Virgil amongst the different centuries: illuminated manuscripts, coins from the middleages, XVI century woodcuts.  A special section is dedicated to the monument dedicated to the memory of Virgil by the council of Mantua in 1927. On show sketches by Giuseppe Menozzi, complemented by other projects designed by other famous artists of the early twentieth century, including Duilio Cambellotti.

VIRGILIO - Volti e immagini del poeta
Mantova, Palazzo Te, 16th October 2011 – 8th January 2012

 

Nessun altro scrittore ha goduto della fama di Virgilio. Il celebre autore di  Eneide, Bucoliche e Georgiche è stato scelto da Dante come guida nella sua Divina Commedia. Allo stesso tempo Virgilio ha esercitato una grande influenza su Petrarca e Boccaccio, Ariosto e Thomas Eliot, solo per citare alcuni fra i poeti e gli scrittori che sono rimasti affascinati dal poeta mantovano. Durante il Medio Evo, Virgilio è stato anche visto come una sorta di profeta, mago e nume tutelare.

Una mostra a Palazzo Te indaga la fama e le caratteristiche fisiche del poeta latino.
Un famoso mosaico rinvenuto nel 1896, in cui Virgilio è raffigurato tra due Muse, vi mostrerà il ritratto più antico sopravvissuto del Poeta. Per la prima volta questo mosaico - concesso in prestito dal Museo del Bardo di Tunisi - sarà esposto al difuori della Tunisia.

A partire da una testimonianza così antica, la mostra seguirà la raffigurazione di Virgilio attraverso i diversi secoli: codici miniati, monete dal medio evo,  xilografie cinquecentesche. Una speciale sezione speciale sarà dedicata al monumento dedicato alla memoria di Virgilio dal Comune di Mantova nel 1927. I bozzetti originali di Giuseppe Menozzi saranno integrati da altri progetti disegnati da famosi artisti del primo Novecento, tra cui Duilio Cambellotti.

VIRGILIO - Volti e Immagini del poeta
Mantova, Palazzo Te, 16 ottobre 2011 - 8 Gennaio 2012

 

Visita Notturna al Palazzo Ducale di Mantova

Mantova, Palazzo Ducale: al calare della notte si accendono le luci sull'arte! In occasione dei "Martedì in Arte" il giorno 30 agosto sarà possibile visitare il Palazzo Ducale di Mantova di sera. Il Museo sarà aperto gratuitamente. VisitMantua vi offre l'opportunità di scoprire la reggia dei Gonzaga con una visita guidata a prezzo speciale: soli 5 euro a persona! Non perderte questa occasione: vedrete gli splendori dei Gonzaga rifulgere nelle tenebre della notte.

IL NUMERO DEI PARTECIPANTI è LIMITATO! Prenotatevi per assicurarvi la possibilità di partecipare alla visita guidata.

 
Per informazioni e prenotazioni contattate: visit.mantua@gmail.com

biblioteca@comune.cavriana.mn.it | tel 0376804053

Magica Italia - Mantova

 

Every Sunday morning at 9.30 am, RAI 1 - the national TV - broadcasts "Magica Italia - Turismo & Turisti", a programme by the Ministry of Tourism providing with reports about the nature and the beauty of Italy.

This is the episode dedicated to Mantua, broadcasted on May 15th 2011, in which we have performed as consultant.

Ogni domenica mattina, alle 9.30, va in onda su Rai 1 “Magica Italia - Turismo & Turisti”, la trasmissione del Ministero del Turismo con servizi dedicati alla natura e alle bellezze dell'Italia.

Questa la puntata dedicata a Mantova, andata in onda il 15 maggio 2011, che ci ha visto protagonisti.

Maria Callas: A Woman, a Voice, a Myth

 

Maria Callas: A Woman, a Voice, a Myth: a rare exhibition of the great opera singer’s costumes, jewelry and memorabilia. From 1st May to 5th June 2011, the Callas’ exhibition takes place at Palazzo Te, Mantua.

On display the stage costumes worn by the Divine to play the roles of Turandot, Rosina, Violetta Valery, Tosca and Norma. And even a valuable selection of scene jewelry. Among them deserve a special mention the necklace made ​​by Luigi Sapelli, aka Caramba (historical costume designer of the Theatre 'La Scala' in Milan) for Aida, and the stage jewelry made for La Traviata by the firm Karmer New York based on designs of Christian Dior.
A wide range of evening and concert dresses (among them some of those worn during the last world tour, between 1973 and 1974). And even clothing related to privacy of Maria Callas, created mostly by Biki, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. Foremost among these the mousseline blouse in cream cotton by Yves Saint Laurent, worn by Callas on the yacht "Christina" of Aristotle Onassis. Another memorabilia related to the Callas' holidays on the "Christina " during the '60s is a collar of gold plated with a cascade of pearls and matching earrings.

In the marvellous Sala dei Giganti of the Palazzo Te, is displayed the costume used by Placido Domingo in Rigoletto, staged in Mantua in a worldwide telecast production (2010). The costume is exhibited togheter with the jester’s stick donated by Tito Gobbi to Maria Callas in 1955 and used in the first ever production of Rigoletto, at La Fenice in 1851.
Don't miss the occasion to meet - at the same time! - the magnificence of the Italian Art and the memories of one of the most iconic voices in the History of Opera. So contact us and make your guided tour a visit to be remembered!

Maria Callas: una donna, una voce, un mito: l'esposizione dedicata a costumi, gioielli e oggetti appartenuti alla grande cantante d'Opera è allestita a Palazzo Te, Mantova, dal 1 Maggio al 5 giugno 2011.
In mostra i costumi di scena indossati dalla Divina per vestire i panni di Turandot, Rosina, Violetta Valery, Tosca e Norma. E ancora una selezione di preziosi gioielli di scena. Tra questi meritano una menzione speciale la collana realizzata da Luigi Sapelli, in arte Caramba (storico costumista del Teatro 'La Scala' di Milano) per l'Aida, e i gioielli di scena realizzati per La Traviata dalla ditta Karmer New York su disegni di Christian Dior.
E ancora un'ampia scelta di abiti da sera e da concerto (tra i quali alcuni di quelli indossati durante l'ultimo tour mondiale, tra il 1973 e 1974). E anche abiti legati alla vita privata di Maria Callas, realizzati per lo più da Biki, Christian Dior e Yves Saint Laurent. Primo fra questi la camicetta in mussola di cotone color crema di Yves Saint Laurent, indossato da Maria Callas sullo yacht "Christina" di Aristotele Onassis. Un altro cimelio legato alle vacanze della Callas sul "Christina" durante gli anni '60 è una collana in metallo dorato con una cascata di perle e orecchini coordinati.
Nella splendida Sala dei Giganti di Palazzo Te, è invece esposto il costume utilizzato da Placido Domingo nel Rigoletto, trasmesso in diretta in mondovisione da Mantova nel 2010. Insieme al costume è esposto il bastone del giullare donato da Tito Gobbi a Maria Callas nel 1955, e utilizzato per la prima assoluta del Rigoletto, alla Fenice, nel 1851.
Non perdete l'occasione di incontrare - al tempo stesso! - la magnificenza dell'arte italiana ed il ricordo di una delle voci più rappresentative della storia dell'Opera. Contattateci e rendete la vostra visita guidata un'esperienza da ricordare!

Let us introduce you to... the real Mantuan stallions!

The largest room of the Palazzo Te - the only whom ancient sources define "hall" instead of "chamber" - celebrates in its decoration the horses once belonging to Federico II Gonzaga, lord of Mantua and owner of the building.

The presence of these animals is very significant: according to Giorgio Vasari, Giulio Romano built the Palazzo in "a place with some stables, called the Te, standing in the middle of a meadow, in which he [Federico] kept his stud of horses and mares".
Vasari informs us also that the construction work has been carried out "without destroying the old walls".
Recent surveys have shown how actually the entire north wing of the Te, where the Hall of the Horses is, is the result of the reworking of an existing structure. So the frescoes designed by Giulio Romano celebrate the previous 'inhabitants' of this space.
Painted on the walls of the room six magnificent thoroughbred horses, large almost natural, are proudly displayed. Some of them with well known names: Morel Favorito (i.e. "Black Favorite") and Dario ("Darius") are in fact still accompanied by inscriptions recalling the identity. For two other horses - Glorioso and Battaglia (i.e. "Glorious" and "Battle") - the names are preserved in sixteenth-century engravings, which show the ancient features of the room. The names of the remaining two horses are still unknown.

Wish to know more? Contact us, come to Mantua and discover, through our professional services, stories, places and artistic treasures, like this one.

L’ambiente più ampio di Palazzo Te, l’unico definito nelle fonti ‘sala’ e non ‘camera’, celebra nel suo apparato decorativo i cavalli appartenuti a Federico II Gonzaga, Signore di Mantova e committente del Palazzo. La presenza di questi animali è assai significativa: a detta di Giorgio Vasari, Giulio Romano avrebbe infatti realizzato Palazzo Te in un “luogo e certe stalle […] dove [Federico] teneva la razza de’ suoi cavalli e cavalle”. Il Vasari ci informa anche di come tale opera di costruzione sarebbe stata eseguita “senza guastare la muraglia vecchia”. Recenti indagini hanno comprovato come effettivamente l’intera ala nord del Te, ove si trova la sala in questione, sia frutto del rimaneggiamento di una struttura preesistente. Gli affreschi progettati da Giulio Romano in questo ambiente celebrano quindi in immagine, i precedenti ‘padroni di casa’.
Sulle pareti affrescate della sala sei magnifici destrieri, grandi quasi al naturale, fanno bella mostra di sé. Di alcuni si conoscono anche i nomi: Morel Favorito e Dario sono infatti ancora accompagnati dalla scritta che ne ricorda l’identità. Per altri due cavalli – Glorioso e Battaglia – i nomi sono invece conservati in testimonianze grafiche cinquecentesche che riproducono l’aspetto della sala. Gli appellativi dei restanti due destrieri restano ancora ignoti.

Volete saperne di più? Venite a Mantova e contattateci, per scoprire, attraverso i nostri servizi professionali, storie, luogi e tesori dell'arte come questi.

Discover the place where the Opera was born

During the XVI century, Ferrante Gonzaga – the youngest of the six Isabella d’Este’s children – had a palace built in the center of Mantua. When his son Cesare inherited the building, he decided to create a theatre within it. He also setted there the meeting point for a group of his intellectual friends, known as  the “Accademia degli Invaghiti” (“Academy of the Enamored ones”). Since the Academicians used to have this theatre as their conference room to discuss about art, literature, and - mostly - music, the place soon became a center of the renaissance culture. So important that the very first melodrama of history was played there: “The History of Orpheus” composed by Claudio Monteverdi - considered the first Opera -  was staged at the Accademia on the Carnival of the 1607.
Unfortunatly the original theatre doesn't exist anymore. In fact, in the second half of the XVIII century it was so crumbling, that the Academy had to rebuild it.
The Academy - then renamed "Academy of Science, Literature and Arts" by the empress Maria Theresa from Austria - commissioned the Architect Antonio Galli Bibiena to reconstruct the theatre, exactly in the same place. The building of the new theatre - called "Bibiena" by the name of his constructor - begun 1766, and on the 3rd December 1769 it was inaugurated.
Few weeks after the inauguration, on the 16th  January 1770, Mozart, who was only 13 years old, came to Mantua from Salzburg to play a concert. On that occasion, the young Mozart said that the "Bibiena Theatre" was the most beautiful theatre in the world.
 

Wish to know more? Contact us, come to Mantua and discover through our professional services people, places and stories, like this one.

Mantua tips for dummies - Visiting Mantua on Sunday? Save your parking money!

When in Mantua - and generally in Italy - be aware that the parking areas marked with blue lines require a fee. BUT if on the parking-signal there are two hammers crossed, YOU DON'T NEED to pay on Sundays (and festivities too). So don't put your coins in the parking-meter machines: they will take your money nevertheless, providing you with a ticket for the following day!

The main blue-lined parking areas (paying Mon to Sat) are:
Via San Giorgio (Ducal Palace area) - Piazza Sordello (Ducal Palace area) - Piazza Seminario (Ducal Palace area) - Piazza D’Arco  - Lungolago Gonzaga - Viale Risorgimento (Palazzo Te area)

Piazzale Montelungo (Palazzo Te area) is a particular blue-lined parking. Here you pay just one euro for all the day (Sundays too) and the parking-meter machine will provide with two tickets: the parking fee and a bus ticket.

The main white-lined parking areas (always free) are: 

Viale Mincio - Piazza Virgiliana - Piazza Anconetta - Campo Canoa

Keep following this blog for other tips!

For further information about the Italian parking system, please check this website.

Sensual art in Palazzo Te

The inscription running around the walls of the chamber of Cupid and Psyche (or Eros and Psyche) in Palazzo Te says that Federico Gonzaga, lord of Mantua, “ordered its construction for his honest leisure after hard work to regain his strength in peace”.

What kind of “honest leisure”? Well, this detail of the frescos painted by Giulio Romano can answer the question.
Among the amorous-themed paintings in the room, this one has been treated with an extraordinary boldness, reflecting the flaming passion for sexual pleasure, which marked the behaviors of Federico Gonzaga.
The scene shows the king of gods Jupiter entering – disguised as a snake – into the bed of Olympias, queen of Macedonia. According the legend, in consequence of this intercourse the Queen gave birth to Alexander the Great.
The scene is forthrightly pornographic. But the fresco is also referring to a biographical aspect of Federico's life: the lord of Mantua had a child from his mistress, Isabella Boschetti, who used to live in this Palace. And this son was named Alexander.
Want to know more? Contact us and discover through our professional services the people, the stories and the art, who have made Mantua one of the capitals of the Renaissance.


L'iscrizione che corre sulle pareti della camera di Amore e Psiche a Palazzo Te dichara che Federico Gonzaga, signore di Mantova, "ne ordinò la costruzione per l'onesto ozio, al fine di ritemprare la forze nella quiete dopo le fatiche".
Che tipo di "onesto ozio"? Beh, questo dettaglio degli affreschi dipinti da Giulio Romano può rispondere alla domanda.
Tra i dipinti a tema amoroso della stanza, questo è stato trattato con un’incredibile audacia, che riflette la passione ardente per i piaceri della carne, che tanto ha segnato i comportamenti di Federico Gonzaga.
La scena mostra Giove, il re degli dei, mentre – mutatosi in serpente – entra nel letto di Olimpia, regina di Macedonia. Secondo la leggenda, in conseguenza di questo rapporto, la regina diede alla luce Alessandro Magno.
La scena è senza mezzi termini pornografica. Ma l'affresco è anche riferimento ad un aspetto biografico della vita di Federico: il signore di Mantova ebbe infatti un figlio dalla sua amante, Isabella Boschetti, che viveva in questo palazzo. E a questo figlio fu dato il nome Alessandro.
Volete saperne di più? Contattateci e scoprite attraverso i nostri servizi professionali le persone, le storie e i tesori dell'arte, che hanno fatto di Mantova una delle capitali del Rinascimento.

Let me introduce myself

“I am an Art Historian dedicated to
Leisure, Travel and Professional Tourism”

I was born in Mantua in 1978. After attending a secondary school focusing on humanitarian studies (where I learned Latin and Ancient Greek) I moved to Venice where I studied in Ca’Foscari University, and graduated in the History of Art with top marks and honours. The topic of my thesis was Isabella d’Este, Marchioness of Mantua.

During my University years I joined the “Classical Tradition Seminar”, and with my colleagues and professors I founded the on-line magazine “ Engramma”. With the same group of scholars I also published the book “L’Originale Assente”.

After the University, I came back to Mantua, where I won a study-award (2.000 euro) and a scholarship (8.000 euro), allowing me extend my research.

Since 2006 I have an Italian State license as a Professional Guide.

In 2008 I acted as Scientific Curator for the exhibition “ Classico Manifesto” (Milan, Triennale), dealing with the relationships between Art and Advertising.

In 2009 I was engaged by Skira Publisher and “Il Corriere della Sera” (one of the most well regarded and popular Italian newspapers) to write guide books of Italian cities (Mantua, Siracusa, Catania and Bari) as well as a book on Giulio Romano. I also write for one of the most renowned and best-known Italian Art Magazines: “Art e Dossier”.

In 2010 I was commissioned by the local Council to train Urban Stewards of Mantua (assistants for tourists).

At the moment I am commissioned by the Council of Mantua to do a survey on the decoration of Palazzo Te.

During my educational background, I attended summer English courses in Dublin, Durham, Norwich, Plymouth and Chester. After my degree I started to have private language lessons. Thanks to the meetings with my tutor (a British opera-singer), I have improved my knowledge of artistic terms in English.

In my career I have guided many tourist groups – including very specialized ones, like those organized by the International Seminar Design INC. I’ve also shown celebrities - including MPs, writers (Michel Faber and Alexander McCall Smith) and music stars (Simon LeBon and Nick Rhodes) around Mantua.

So, if you are planning to pay a visit to Mantua, I am your perfect point of reference. You can count on me to make your guided tour a day to be remembered.

Lorenzo Bonoldi
VisitMantua Administrator