This article originally appeared in the Dec 2015/Jan 2016 issue of Dream of Italy. Updated 2018.
Read the main article – Mantua: Back to the Future
Seeing the Sights
The Mantova Museum Card is a steal at 20€. It provides entrance to 11 museums, and can be used for bike sharing and bus rides. The card is good for several days.
Where to Stay
Hotel dei Gonzaga
Piazza Sordello 52
(39) 0376 321533
www.hoteldeigonzagamantova.it
Rates: From 100€
Situated on Piazza Sordello, just steps from the Palazzo Ducale, this three-star hotel offers a breakfast buffet and clean, updated rooms, some with views into the piazza.
Palazzo Castiglioni
Piazza Sordello, 12
(39) 0376 367032
www.palazzocastiglionimantova.com
Rates: Average 200€ per night
Private residence of descendants of Baldassare Castiglione, author of the Renaissance-era guide to court life The Courtier, and a diplomat who became an ambassador for popes and a friend of Raphael. Breakfast included.
Palazzo Arrivabene
Via Fratelli Bandiera, 20
(39) 0376 328685
www.palazzoarrivabene.net
Rates: From 130€ per room, per night. Cash only.
Built at the end of the 15th century, it was the home of the Arrivabene brothers and contains elegant drawing rooms with frescoed ceilings. Breakfast included.
Where to Eat
Cento Rampini
Piazza Erbe
(39) 0376 366349
ristorantecentorampini.com
Open Tuesday to Saturday
This came highly recommended by Sebastiano Sali in the mayor’s office of Mantua: “The kitchen is traditional and you have a whole selection of typical dishes from Mantua.”
Tiratappi
Piazza Leon Battista Alberti, 30
(39) 0376 322366
www.ristorantetiratappi.it
A delightful restaurant where owner and chef Orazio Scicolone and his wife Liliana greet you and put their own Sicilian flair on some traditional Mantuan dishes.
Aquila Nigra
Vicolo Bonacolsi, 4
(39) 0376 327180
www.aquilanigra.it
Dinner only on Monday. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Lunch only on Sunday.
Elegant restaurant in the heart of the city serving seasonal dishes expertly prepared, such as steamed sea bass with artichokes or roasted veal cheek with thyme.
Il Cigno
Piazza Carlo d’Arco, 1
(39) 0376 327101
www.ristoranteilcignomantova.it
Open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner.
Owned by Tano and Alessandro Martini for more than 40 years, they offer elegant, local dishes in an exquisite 15th-century setting. Outdoor garden in summer.
Bar Caravatti
Via Broletto 16
(39) 0376 327826
Open 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
www.barcaravatti.it
For coffee or an aperitivo.