Palazzo Te, Mantua

A masterpiece designed by architect Giulio Romano, Palazzo Te is a blend of palace and villa architecture. The four facades with rustic-looking walls and flat pilasters appear symmetrical. Take a closer look, though, and you'll see that the spaces between the columns do not match. Few windows in the inner courtyard, plus an uneven and broken plaster textures, add to the true Mannerist style Romano loved. The exterior of the palace was finished quickly, but the interior took ten years to complete. An entire team of decorators covered every room with frescoes. The most famous is Romano's invented dome on the ceiling in the Room of Giants. Using our world travel planner, Mantua attractions like Palazzo Te can form part of a personalized travel itinerary.