Esistente

Parzialmente conservato

Scomparso

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Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?

Although the garden is a fragile organism and its duration naturally short, the passing of centuries in Mantua has not completely erased the gardens of the many Gonzaga residences from the time of the Signoria [TN: Rule/Dominion] (1328-1708): a trace of this heritage persists and those who wish to, can still contemplate some secular spaces that, though with a very different setting and the names of more recent owners, preserve the memory of the existence of Gonzaga gardens. Follow this ancient green plot to discover its history, it also offers a way of discovering less common routes, noble buildings and characters that have been a significant part of the city. 

Route 1

Crossing the city from east to west, from the gardens of Palazzo Ducale to the beautiful romantic garden of the house museum of the Counts d’Arco (formerly Palazzo dei Gonzaga at San Giovanni delle Carrette), crossing piazza Sordello, on the right, at no. 12, one encounters the joyous green of Palazzo Bonacolsi -Castiglioni between high walls, it is uncertain who commissioned it, but it is a secular Gonzaga property. From the medieval vicolo Bonacolsi, along via Cavour - via Tassoni, you reach via Trento, which marks the interesting district of San Leonardo. At no. 21, the only example of a monumental private garden overlooking the public road, there is the Cavriani garden, an enlarged copy in 19th century style of the Palazzo Gonzaga Spolverini garden, that celebrates the glories of Mantuan culture. The garden faces the magnificent Cavriani residence, while next to it the current headquarters of Monsignor Arrigo Mazzali Geriatric Institutions unexpectedly retains within it, a quiet verdant area dating back to the garden of Casa Gonzaga (formerly Palazzo Schivenoia then dell’Abate).

The route continues along via Concezione and piazza S. Giovanni up to Palazzo d'Arco - piazza Carlo d'Arco 4.

Route 2

If we move from the south to the northwest, from the gardens of Palazzo Te to Piazza d’Arco, on the edge of the old town we come across a small shady public area next to the sixteenth-century Palazzo San Sebastiano – on the viale della Repubblica side - built as a private residence for Marquis Francesco II Gonzaga. Contemporary gardeners have landscaped here an elaborate design of geometric flowerbeds in the centre of which fruit trees grow, a clear throwback to the Renaissance gardens in which the complex was placed. Similar tendencies are found in the public area - via Ivanoe Bonomi 3 - that shields one side of the seventeenth church of Sant'Orsola, part of the convent wanted by Margherita Gonzaga, Duchess of Ferrara, as a widow's residence. When we reach Sant'Orsola, by walking along Via Giovanni Acerbi, we come across the garden of the House of Andrea Mantegna - via G. Acerbi no. 47 - once linked to those of Palazzo San Sebastiano. The informal lush greenery of the planted lawn is suggestive of the memory of the open spaces typical of the areas around the city walls as they appear in the Urbis Mantuae Descriptio of 1628.

From here, along via Carlo Poma, on which the House of Giulio Romano and the prestigious seventeenth-century residence of the Guerrieri Gonzaga stand, which is now Palazzo di Giustizia, built by Anton Maria Viani, you come to via Giovanni Chiassi where, at no. 54, there is still a garden that was part of the Palazzo dei Gonzaga of Vescovato. Taking Via Viani, next to the church of San Maurizio, having crossed the garden of Palazzo Valentini, shaded by exotic plants, and corso Vittorio Emanuele II, you will be in front of the facade of Sant'Orsola, also by Viani. The twentieth-century twist of Via Bonomi leads to the medieval via Solferino and, by turning right towards the corso del Rio, from via Scarsellini you arrive at the d’Arco's Garden - Piazza C. d'Arco 4.

Research and studies conducted through a reinterpretation of historic iconography and cartography, compared with archival sources, with the aim of defining a preliminary overview of the gardens and green areas that complement the many Gonzaga residences in the "historic Mantua" area, enabled a survey of 84 sites between the current provinces of Mantua, Cremona and Reggio Emilia. The results were unprecedented and unexpected and paved the way for the preliminary outlines of the complex system of green areas that used to surround many Gonzaga residences and that embraced, often intertwined, typologically diverse places: from the secret garden to the maze, from the meeting spaces to the production areas of the vegetable gardens and broli (old, walled-in orchards), until the establishment of areas for hunting that were fenced off and protected no less than the beautiful gardens. A complex weave of spaces, characterized by the overall layout of the area; highlighting that not only the main branch of the Gonzaga family of Mantua could benefit from a structured network of residences and green areas with differentiated and complementary functions, but that the "minor" branches tended to replicate - according to their respective financial resources - a similar system that stamped a distinctive character onto the layout of the territory.

(taken from C. Bonora Previdi, M. Brignani, I giardini dei Gonzaga nei territori dell’ex ducato di Mantova e dei limitrofi feudi dei rami collaterali, in I giardini dei Gonzaga 2018, pp. 177-181).

See the FULL MAP

Nicolas Sanson, Carte Nouvelle du Duchè de Mantoue da Nouveau Théâtre d’Italie,
Pierre Mortier, Amsterdam, 1704
(ANV, Raccolta Balzanelli, F1 II 42)

The Gonzaga family, captains of the people, marquises and later dukes, governed Mantua without interruption for almost four centuries (from 1328 to 1707); ordering all the aspects of city life, of their territory and of the institutional organization of the state, they progressively conditioned economic development, the regular and secular religious realities and the artistic and cultural environment, transforming the city into one of the richest and most avant-garde hubs of Italian and European Renaissance culture.

Since its inception, however, along with that of the Gonzaga of Mantua, the less known yet equally extraordinary adventure of the collateral branches developed, whose history documents the complex intertwining between the various family branches, the dense network of illustrious relatives and intricate political events of Casa Gonzaga that would have distinctive repercussions on the territorial settlement structure. Formed with Gianfrancesco Gonzaga (to whom Emperor Sigismondo had granted the title of Marquis, a feudal condition endowed with the privilege of primogeniture), this led to the division of territory and to the formation of those fiefdoms, improperly defined as "minor”, that were sometimes returned to the main house and at other times fragmented further, which developed in particular in the Mantuan territory and between the current provinces of Brescia, Cremona and Reggio Emilia. Small fiefdoms, always politically, diplomatically and economically influenced by the choices of the Gonzaga family of Mantua and formally autonomous but generally pro-Empire, which, particularly between the 15th and the 17th century, played a significant political role. This in turn, was embodied in prestigious noble achievements and significant, urban planning and construction interventions that profoundly impacted the territory's structure, defining material traces, still partially visible, which expressed the hierarchies, values and symbols of each court, with cultural, architectural and landscape differences between the various areas that entrenched their roots in different traditions and legends.

(taken from C. Bonora Previdi, Dimore e giardini dei Gonzaga: fasti e rappresentanza dei rami collaterali, in I giardini dei Gonzaga 2018, p. 59).

A study for the Gonzaga gardens
The Mantua and Sabbioneta site Management Plan shows with particular relevance strengths and weaknesses of the cognitive framework currently available on some of our most representative heritage assets. The Plan is a tool designed to preserve the underlying values of the Mantua and Sabbioneta site, included since 2008 in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List. This is the reason for the project Gonzaga Gardens. Historical study and analysis for recovery and restoration, funded by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, in order to expand the knowledge and analysis of heritage assets with the goal of preserving and protecting them.
The study, conducted and coordinated by the Mantua and Sabbioneta World Heritage Office of the two Municipalities, with the collaboration of Associazione Amici di Palazzo Te e dei Musei Mantovani and the scientific direction of Paola Eugenia Falini, has as its objectives the promotion and knowledge of the Gonzaga era gardens, together with their architectural structures and structural consistencies. Never had this asset been systematically investigated an analysed to identify its typological, architectural and structural features and permanencies in order to ensure the most appropriate measures for their conservation and maintenance.
If the mission of a UNESCO site is to preserve and safeguard the values ​​of recognised world heritage, all the elements that make it up need to be identified and analysed in order to bring out the cultural representations that contribute to their composition. Therefore, the lack of overall knowledge about some of the most representative monumental assets – such as the urban and suburban Gonzaga gardens of the two cities of Mantua and Sabbioneta – made it necessary to undertake this important study for the sake of their knowledge and rediscovery.
This research project lasted about two years and was carried out by a working group of scholars, art historians, architects and agronomy experts. First, it went ahead with a census and study of the Gonzaga gardens erected in the area of the ancient Mantuan Duchy, by means of a consistent scrutiny of archival and cadastral records, and was subsequently devoted to a detailed analysis and study of the two most important urban organisms: the garden of Palazzo Giardino in Sabbioneta and the gardens of Palazzo Te in Mantua.

Research

The study was then set up through different operating procedures.
Starting from the collection of various available historical-bibliographic, archival and iconographic information, coordinated by Claudia Bonora Previdi and Marida Brignani, all the main Gonzaga gardens within the Mantua area were identified together with their history and key features of their origins.
The next step of the study included the systematic organisation of the previously collected information and the preparation of an inventory and a historical-critical mapping of the gardens collected in a monograph in the form of an Atlas. The basic available information was gathered for each garden with references to existing cartographic, iconographic, archive, and bibliographic sources, including a comment on the conservation status.
Two detailed researches were carried out next – one on the garden of Palazzo Giardino in Sabbioneta and the other on the garden of Palazzo Te in Mantua – specifically aimed at identifying the need for intervention, structured as follows:

• historical analysis of both the main building complex and the annexed gardens, from their origins to the present, identifying the fundamental stages of their evolution over time;
• present dimensions, at different scales, of both the main building complex and the pertinent park and garden, as well as the photographic and topographic survey of each;  
• thematic analyses of the current conditions (accessibility, usability, intended use);
• analysis of the currently existing static and maintenance conditions of the building structures, furniture and greenery;
• assessment of the conservation status and definition of the related needs and intervention arrangements.

Results

All the studies, researches, images, surveys, cartography and scientific and project results, coordinated by Paola Eugenia Falini and Patrizia Pulcini, were next published (by Del Gallo Editore) in the three volumes referred to in the links below:

• I giardini dei Gonzaga. Un Atlante per la storia del territorio a cura P.E. Falini, C. Bonora Previdi, M. Brignani, Del Gallo Editori, Spoleto 2018.
• Il giardino de la fontana di Sabbioneta. Un Progetto Guida per il giardino di Palazzo a cura P.E. Falini, Del Gallo Editori, Spoleto 2018.
• I giardini di Palazzo Te. Un Progetto Guida per i giardini dell’isola a cura P.E. Falini, Del Gallo Editori, Spoleto 2018.

The following pages, by Claudia Bonora Previdi, Marida Brignani and the Mantua and Sabbioneta World Heritage Office, focus on a part of the Gonzaga gardens still in existence and open to the public in some cases, mentioning their major historical and descriptive aspects found in the first volume.

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