Description
Palazzo Te is the pleasure villa that Federico II Gonzaga had built on the southern edge of Mantua between 1524 and 1534: Giulio Romano's masterpiece, a low, square palace where every room is painted from floor to ceiling.
Federico wanted a retreat far from the court, from his duties and from his mother, Isabella d'Este, where he could receive guests and meet his lover, Isabella Boschetti. Today it houses the city museum and major art and architecture exhibitions.
The most famous room is the Chamber of the Giants, painted between 1532 and 1535. Jupiter strikes down with thunderbolts the Giants trying to climb Mount Olympus, and the mountains collapse on top of them: the fresco covers walls and vault without a break and hides the corners, so the whole room seems about to cave in.
In the Hall of the Horses, the Gonzagas' favourite steeds are portrayed life-size, in front of landscapes opening between painted columns. We still know the names of four of them: Morel Favorito, Glorioso, Battaglia and Dario.
The Chamber of Cupid and Psyche, the marquis's dining room, is the most sumptuous: Apuleius's fable runs across the vault and lunettes, among banquets of the gods, Mars and Venus bathing, Bacchus and Ariadne. It was a tribute to Federico's love for Isabella.
The Cortile d'Onore, the main courtyard, looks classical, but take a closer look: here and there a triglyph in the frieze seems to have slipped down, as if the stone were about to fall. It is a deliberate joke by Giulio Romano, who loved to catch viewers off guard.
Beyond the courtyard, the Loggia of David overlooks the two fishponds and the large garden closed off by an exedra. In one corner is the Apartment of the Secret Garden, with its Grotto once lined with shells.
The name comes from the little island it stands on, called Tejeto from the Middle Ages and later Te, cut off from the city by the lakes. Before the villa, the Gonzagas used it to train their precious horses.
In April 1530 Federico welcomed Emperor Charles V in the courtyard, and that same year Charles made him a duke. According to the most widely accepted reading, the Giants crushed by Jupiter celebrate Charles V himself, depicted with the features of the king of the gods.
After the Gonzagas the villa became barracks, and the soldiers left their mark: on the walls of the Chamber of the Giants you can still read graffiti and signatures carved from the 16th century onwards, including those of 17th-century Landsknechts.
Don't miss
• Chamber of the Giants.
• Hall of the Horses.
• Chamber of Cupid and Psyche.
• Cortile d'Onore.
• Fishponds and garden.
Did you know?
• The pebble floor in the vestibule of the secret garden hides lead nozzles that sprayed water on guests as a prank.
• The palace is about a quarter as tall as it is wide, modelled on ancient villas.
Federico wanted a retreat far from the court, from his duties and from his mother, Isabella d'Este, where he could receive guests and meet his lover, Isabella Boschetti. Today it houses the city museum and major art and architecture exhibitions.
The most famous room is the Chamber of the Giants, painted between 1532 and 1535. Jupiter strikes down with thunderbolts the Giants trying to climb Mount Olympus, and the mountains collapse on top of them: the fresco covers walls and vault without a break and hides the corners, so the whole room seems about to cave in.
In the Hall of the Horses, the Gonzagas' favourite steeds are portrayed life-size, in front of landscapes opening between painted columns. We still know the names of four of them: Morel Favorito, Glorioso, Battaglia and Dario.
The Chamber of Cupid and Psyche, the marquis's dining room, is the most sumptuous: Apuleius's fable runs across the vault and lunettes, among banquets of the gods, Mars and Venus bathing, Bacchus and Ariadne. It was a tribute to Federico's love for Isabella.
The Cortile d'Onore, the main courtyard, looks classical, but take a closer look: here and there a triglyph in the frieze seems to have slipped down, as if the stone were about to fall. It is a deliberate joke by Giulio Romano, who loved to catch viewers off guard.
Beyond the courtyard, the Loggia of David overlooks the two fishponds and the large garden closed off by an exedra. In one corner is the Apartment of the Secret Garden, with its Grotto once lined with shells.
The name comes from the little island it stands on, called Tejeto from the Middle Ages and later Te, cut off from the city by the lakes. Before the villa, the Gonzagas used it to train their precious horses.
In April 1530 Federico welcomed Emperor Charles V in the courtyard, and that same year Charles made him a duke. According to the most widely accepted reading, the Giants crushed by Jupiter celebrate Charles V himself, depicted with the features of the king of the gods.
After the Gonzagas the villa became barracks, and the soldiers left their mark: on the walls of the Chamber of the Giants you can still read graffiti and signatures carved from the 16th century onwards, including those of 17th-century Landsknechts.
Don't miss
• Chamber of the Giants.
• Hall of the Horses.
• Chamber of Cupid and Psyche.
• Cortile d'Onore.
• Fishponds and garden.
Did you know?
• The pebble floor in the vestibule of the secret garden hides lead nozzles that sprayed water on guests as a prank.
• The palace is about a quarter as tall as it is wide, modelled on ancient villas.