Private property, open for visits upon request
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The imposing beauty of Piazza Sordello, as well as its wide open spaces, is certainly due to the refined balance of its architecture, which, given its variety in terms of age and methods, is of great interest. The austere Palazzo Ducale stands opposite and in contrast to the sumptuous Palazzo Bonacolsi-Gonzaga, with its medieval architectural features. The narrow Vicolo Bonacolsi that runs along one side, the merlons of the façade and the parallelepiped tower recall the profile of the ancient city and the dawn of the power of the House of Gonzaga. All this sober majesty is softened by a relaxing interior garden that can be glimpsed beyond the entrance and that occupies an ancient courtyard with a grassy parterre and pathways punctuated by vases of citrus trees and osmanthus. A great horse chestnut reaches up towards the sky, whilst ivy, wisteria, climbing roses and Virginia creeper, amplifying the perception of spaces by covering the counter-façade and north-western outer wall. The ancient well is covered with false jasmine, whilst wintersweet and Japanese maples add splashes of colour to the green of the lawns.
The palazzo once belonged to Gianfrancesco Gonzaga (1395-1444), the first Marquis of Mantua, and was passed on to various descendants, direct and collateral, of the Gonzaga family, including Vespasiano Duke of Sabbioneta (1531-1591). After being passed down many times, it was eventually sold in 1804 to another illustrious Mantuan family, the Castiglioni family, who remain owners to this day.
The existence of a small zardino within the vast complex was first documented in 1496, whilst a description from 1559 mentions an internal architectural division typical of the renaissance period. The layout of the service areas underwent various transformations in the 1800s, with the opening up of a great central courtyard and the construction of new buildings. The garden area, which, together with the vegetable garden and various interior walled courtyards, had characterised the vast residential complex, was never abandoned, but was moved several times, gradually getting closer to the main entrance, where it now extends for around 500 square metres.
(From L. Valli, Il giardino del Palazzo Bonacolsi Gonzaga Castiglioni, in I giardini dei Gonzaga 2018, pp. 309-311)
