MANTUA, nnin'ttl-a (It. Montoya). A city of Lombardy. Italy, situated on the Minch), 25 miles by rail southwest of Verona (Map: Italy, F 2). It was formerl• the capital of the Duchy of Mantua and is now the capital of the province of the same name. It occupies two islands in the river and is elaborately fortified. Three lakes formed by the river half surround the town and there are marshes adjacent. It is not a healthful city. .Architecturally it is in teresting on account of the Renaissance ehurches and secular edifices by Alberti (q.v.) and other great builders. It is still more prominent in the world of painting. owing to the works of 31an tegna and Giulio Romano, both of whom resilled. here. The population and the sullen massive grandeur of the edifices explain why the traveler in :Mantua associates the city with a gloomy decadence. The streets arc regular and spaeions, but poorly paved. There are several fine squares. The most important church is the spacious Sant' Andrea. Begun in 1472 as a crea tion of Alberti, it has been subjected. to ninny changes of plan during, the eenturies. Its white facade of marble is adorned with a portico, and contrasts curiously with the adjacent red brick campanile. The interior 1111l yard, long) con tains many frescoes by prominent artists. The Cathedral of San Pietro is not attractive, but has a fine ceiling.
The Corte Reale. formerly the ducal palace of the Gonzagas and now• consigned to military purposes, is a notable structure dating from the beginning of the fourteenth century. it was em
bellished with frescoes by Giulio 'Romano. Its apartments re of exceptional interest for their varied decorations, representing the most delight ful Italian period of the art of interior ornamen tation. Another tine old Mantuan palace is the Palazzo del Ti‘, constructed by Giulio Romano, and adorned In• him in a most art ist ie style. Some of the frescoes are excellent. The friezes in the loggia are by Primatiecio. who was educated in Mantua under Giulio Romano, In the oId castle of t ho Gonzagas is a collection of archives. Among the freseoes here by Mantegma only two remain in a satisfactory condition. The \•ergilinn Academy of Arts and Scienee, contains source SpPeillleIPA of art. The neighboring library in the Lyceum bas a work by who lived and studied in Man tua several years. In the adjacent museum are some good Greek busts and sarcophagi, and the Museo Patrio possesses other antiquities. A statue of Dante and the house of Giulio Romano are shown as attractions to the visitor in Mantua. The city has a theological institute, a botanical garden, an astronomical observatory, a public li brary with 80,000 volumes, and an excellent, commodious military hospital. The trade and manufactures are unimportant. Population (commune), in 1901, 29,142.