Book skip-the-line tickets for Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) and explore the marvel of medieval architecture and artistry.
Home of the Gonzaga family from 1328 to 1707, the Palazzo Ducale is a marvel of medieval architecture and artistry. Throughout their reign over Mantova, the Gonzagas added on to the original 13th century structure and created a complex of castles, palaces and basilicas. The current palace includes over 500 rooms, including a Zodiac Room, Hall of Mirrors, Apartment of Paradise, River Chamber, and Apartment of Troy.
In the 1400s, Lodovico II created a cultural center where artists such as Donatello, Mantegna, Leon Battista Alberti, Luca Fancelli could collaborate and create. Recent excavations at the palace have unearthed Medieval murals by Pisanello depicting chivalric knights jousting. The crowning work of the palace is Andrea Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi capped by one of Mantegna's best known works, a painted dome depicting angels peering down from the clouds.
The entrance ticket to the Palazzo Ducale includes entrance to the Castle of San Giorgio, the Wedding Room and to the Old Court.
A limited number of visitors are allowed to enter Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi, reservations are recommended.
Mantova is approximately 2 1/4 hours from Milan and less than an hour from Verona by train.
The Palazzo Ducale allows reserved entrances every 10 minutes from 8:30am to 6:30pm.
You are allowed to stay in the museum as long as you would like after entrance. The Palazzo Ducale has designed 2 routes for visitors, a full walking itinerary and an abbreviated walking itinerary. Because of the vastness of the palace, visitors generally spend over 2 hours here.
The palace is closed every Monday as well as December 25, January 1 and May 1.
Entrance to the Palazzo Ducale is free for all children who are under 18 years of age; however a mandatory reservation is required. The cost of the reservation is $5.00.
The palace is wheelchair accessible.
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