Palazzo Te

Where: Mantua
Best for: Giulio Romano's Mannerist villa
Allow: 2 hours
Tickets: From €15; Checked January 2026

Federico II Gonzaga built Palazzo Te between 1524 and 1534 on the site of his family stables, a villa for leisure, horses and lovers, and he gave Giulio Romano, Raphael's pupil, the freedom to bend every rule.

The result is a founding building of Mannerism. In the Sala dei Cavalli the Gonzaga stallions are painted as portraits; in the Camera di Amore e Psiche the walls carry an Olympian banquet; and in the Sala dei Giganti the architecture itself seems to collapse as painted giants are crushed beneath falling rock. The palace sits south of Mantua's center and belongs to the UNESCO listing of Mantua and Sabbioneta. The ticket also covers the MACA museum and the Alberti Temple.

Five works worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

The Sala dei GigantiGiulio Romano
The architecture seems to collapse as painted giants are crushed beneath falling rock; the room’s echo adds to the drama.Main floor
The Sala di Amore e PsicheGiulio Romano
An Olympian banquet painted on the walls, full of gods and sensual details.Main floor
The Sala dei CavalliGiulio Romano
The Gonzaga stallions painted as portraits, which tells you where the palace began: as a stable.Garden apartment
The Camera dei VentiGiulio Romano
A room decorated with astrological scenes and winds.Main floor
The Loggia di DavideGiulio Romano
A colonnaded loggia toward the gardens, part of the palace’s pleasure-villa layout.Garden front

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Tickets: From €15
Booking: No booking needed
Time needed: 2 hours
Best time: Weekday mornings, so the Sala dei Giganti is quiet
Getting there: Viale Te, on foot from the historic center across the southern edge of the old town. There are public car parks near the palace; Mantua's center is largely walkable.

Reduced €11. The ticket also opens the MACA museum and the Leon Battista Alberti Temple, and stays valid for three consecutive months from first use. Last updated January 2026. Prices change, so check the official site before you go.

Look up as well as around in the Sala dei Giganti, where painted walls and ceiling blur together. Then walk out into the garden and the Exedra, the curved colonnade at the back.

See tours Official website

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