Description
Palazzo Cavriani is a large 18th-century palazzo on Via Trento, in the center of Mantua, best known for what stands in front of it: a garden enclosed by a railing with thirteen busts of illustrious Mantuans and, in the middle, a statue of Virgil.
The palazzo, home of the Cavriani since the 17th century, was rebuilt by the Bolognese architect Alfonso Torreggiani, with work completed in 1756. Inside are 140 rooms and a hall with stucco and frescoes, including Giuseppe Bazzani's Apollo and the Muses; it is private property.
The garden was born in 1826, when Marquis Luigi Cavriani bought and demolished the house opposite, which robbed him of light and air. In 1835 he had Stefano Gerola's marble Virgil raised there: the one the French had erected in Piazza Virgiliana had been dismantled in 1821. Among the busts are Baldassare Castiglione, Teofilo Folengo and Francesco II Gonzaga.
The palazzo, home of the Cavriani since the 17th century, was rebuilt by the Bolognese architect Alfonso Torreggiani, with work completed in 1756. Inside are 140 rooms and a hall with stucco and frescoes, including Giuseppe Bazzani's Apollo and the Muses; it is private property.
The garden was born in 1826, when Marquis Luigi Cavriani bought and demolished the house opposite, which robbed him of light and air. In 1835 he had Stefano Gerola's marble Virgil raised there: the one the French had erected in Piazza Virgiliana had been dismantled in 1821. Among the busts are Baldassare Castiglione, Teofilo Folengo and Francesco II Gonzaga.