Where Sanremo Music Festival takes place every year
The Olympic Theatre of Sabbioneta
The first designed just for entertainment in 1500, near Mantua
The city of Sabbioneta (Mantua) was designed and built by the Duke Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna. Here stands the Olympic Theatre, the first theatre bulding designed for entertainement in 1500.
Vespasiano wanted Sabbioneta to be a strategic town, so he hired the greatest architects and had relations with the European courts, making it the heart of the Renaissance.
⇒ Watch the full web serie Mantua Slow Tour
Cover pic courtesy of Flickr User Vale (@LittleCrazyButterfly)
Visit Mantua: helpful hints
Italian name: Mantova
Arrival
There is no airport in Mantua but you can come easily from Milan or Bologna.
Milan: from Malpensa Airport reach Milan Central Station by train or by bus (the Malpensa Express train leaves every 30 minutes, it takes 50 minutes and costs 13€. The Malpensa shuttle bus leaves every 20 minutes, it takes 60/70 minutes and costs 10€). At Milan Central Station, look for the train to Mantua, it costs 11,5€ and it takes 1,5 hours.
Bologna: from Bologna Airport reach Bologna Central Station by bus (rides every 15 minutes). It takes 30 minutes and costs 6,5€. From the Central Station you can choose between the train and the bus: with Trenitalia company there is a combination of two trains, taking 1,5 hours at all for 8,95€. With Flixbus service you pay 4,99€ and it takes 1,25 hours.
Transports
You can visit Mantua on walk, or you can choose between bus or bike. APAM manages the local bus service. The single ticket costs 1,4€ and it lasts 75 minutes. Otherwise you can choose the bike and pay 0,69€ for a 20 minutes ride.
What to do
Mantua is a wonderful art city surrounded by lakes. It is in Lombardy region, Northern Italy. The city is famous for many stunning architectural treasures, such as Palazzo Ducale made by the Gonzaga family, or Palazzo Te. Nearby don’t miss the Olympic Theatre of Sabbioneta, the first designed just for entertainment in 1500.
Every year in September takes place here one of the most important Book Fair in Italy, Festivaletteratura.
For more tips, watch Italia Slow Tour web serie about Mantua.
