Private property
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One of the most important Gonzaga complexes – created at the end of the second half of the 15th century under the direction of court engineers Luca Fancelli and Giovanni da Padova and adapted a century later by Bernardino Facciotto to become the summer residence of Duke Guglielmo – is still splendidly preserved today, along with its gardens. It covers an area of around 10,000 square metres and is found in Motteggiana, not far from the town square, screened from view by an avenue of thick box hedges and a curtain of trees.
The court layout, as with the original design of its buildings, completed by the end of 1477, represents a model of Gonzaga agricultural residence that combines the features of pleasure with those of functional production in perfect harmony.
Commissioned by Ludovico Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua, the complex underwent various changes in ownership, between the dominant House of Gonzaga and the Guastalla branch, ending up in the hands of the Ghirardini family, in 1637, from which it took its name and in which it remained until 1812. In 1929, it was bought by the current owners, who carefully restored it at the end of the century.
The design and creation of the green areas of the courtyard, in particular the roof courtyard and the formal garden, dates back to 1474, when plans were made to cover the steps leading to the roof courtyard. Later, a battlement wall was built to surround the vegetable garden, orchard and garden. Almost a century later, Ferrante Gonzaga di Guastalla, under the direction of Domenico Giunti, renovated the garden structure to include granati (pomegranates) and codogni (inedible apple/pear type fruit) and the pergola columns. Whilst these areas were located behind the residence, the fishery and dovecote, existing at least as far back as the 16th century and later lost, were situated on the lawn in front of the palazzo.
Today, the garden is still divided into box hedge squares with pomegranates and a central gazebo covered with Virginia creeper. The orchard preserves the columns that once held up the great pergola and the ordered layout of the fruit trees.
(From L. Valli, I giardini della Corte della Saviola di sopra, poi Ghirardina, in I giardini dei Gonzaga 2018, pp. 366-372)
