House's History

A Brief Architectural and Artistic History

The Palazzo Arrivabene, set in Mantova's historical center, is mentioned in the Catasto Teresiano (the 1755 Land Register), where it is listed as: “a house with a garden”, the propriety of the Arrivabene brothers, built at the end of the XV° century.

The Palazzo Arrivabene boasts an elegant façade, graced with a striking balcony. The entrance sports a marble baluster, several glass mullions and two winsome putti sculptures. To the right, is the Arrivabene coat of arms: a marble shield embossed with the letter A.

Upon entering the Palazzo, a spacious antechamber opens up to a sweeping 15th century marble staircase, which leads to three interconnected drawing rooms of some artistic merit. The first of the three rooms contains an affresco ceiling, attributed to the painter Ludovico Dorigny (1654-1742). On the left hand side is a yellow marble fireplace framed by intricate bas relief mouldings.

A Gothic-style open doorway leads into the next room, which supports a ceiling decorated by Giuseppe Bazzani (1690-1769), one of Mantova's most famous artists. The room also contains a splendid ornamental red marble fireplace. Bazzani was also responsible for the fresco on the ceiling of the third and final room. Unfortunately, a bombing raid during the Second World War destroyed a large part of the work, leaving only two barely distinguishable female figures. On the wall to the right is another fireplace embellished with green marble inlays.