Mantua (Mantova) Italy Travel Essentials

Mantua Introduction: Mantua, or Mantova, is a beautiful, historic city surrounded on three sides by lakes. It was one of the greatest Renaissance Courts in Europe and home of the wealthy Gonzaga family. The town's center is three spacious and lively piazzas that join together.

Mantua Location: Mantua is between Bologna and Parma in the Northern Italian region of Lombardy, not far from the Po River. It has an altitude of 19 meters and its area is 63 square kilometers. By car, it is near the A22 autostrada. See Lombardy Map for Mantova location.

Mantua Tourist Office: Mantua's tourist office is near the church of Sant' Andrea in Piazza Mantegna 6, one of the 3 central piazzas.

Mantua Train and Bus Stations: The train station is in piazza Don Leoni at the end of via Solferino e S. Martino to the southwest of the town. It's about a 10 minute walk from the station to the center Mantua. The bus station is in Piazzale A Mondadori, near the train station.

Mantua Population: Mantua has a population of 46,372 with a density of 736 per square kilometer.

Food Specialties in Mantua: Pike in green sauce, luccio in salsa, is a specialty from Mantua. A special pasta from Mantua is tortelli di zucca, tortelli filled with pumpkin or squash, ground amaretti cookies, and mostarda. Since Mantua is in the rice-growing region, you will also find some excellent risotto dishes.

Most Livable City Award: Mantova was named by Legambiente, Italy's non-profit Environmental League, as the most livable city in Italy in 2005. Criteria included green space, air quality, public transportation, and traffic.

Mantua Pictures: Take a look at Mantova with our Mantova Picture Gallery.