Mantova ,someone told me, is a city of mists; low lying, surrounded by lakes. I arrive to find it filled with Italian tourists, grey but unmisted. I love that Italians tourist their own incredible towns full of history and art. The pebbled streets give you a free foot massage. The daughter arrives and we visit the Palazzo Ducale, the best preserved palazzo outside the Vatican. The entrance is modernised with 70's floor tiles and I almost leave but beyond that, room after room of breathtaking beauty; every surface covered four hundred years ago by artisans - tapestries, frescoes, hand carved and painted wooden ceilings, paintings. I tell the daughter that her ancestor Titian came to this court of the Gonzaga's to paint their portraits, she's unimpressed. I'm awed.
The old part of the city is small, we walk to the Palazzo dei Te, a palace built by a famous Gonzaga for his mistress Isabella Boschetti, they fell in love at the age of 16 and continued their affair throughout each other's subsequent marriages. Again, the artwork is stunning.
I notice the amount of astrological paintings and symbols on floors and ceilings all over Italy and wonder why Christianity subsequently saw it as heretical. I research and find that in medieval times, Astrology was studied by Doctors and members of the church, also by farmers for planting. Catholics were permitted to have the belief that the stars impact our lives because of the influence that planets had on earth but what is forbidden, is to believe in a form of astrology that denies free will.
Mantova is the town of mostarda, a specialty mustard that dates back to the Renaissance. It's made of candied fruits with mustard essential oils that is served with boiled meats and soft cheese. It's a favourite of mine and hard to find even in Italy, except of course here in it's place of origin. There are so many shops full of gigantic class bottles of mostarda, with all different fruits, pear, apple, orange, peach, lemon and chinotto peel, cumquat and clementine. The shops are decorated as if you had just stepped into a Renaiisance artwork.
We discover the torta di tagliatelle - alternate layers of an almond mix and thinly shredded raw egg pasta which is then topped with butter and sugar and baked. Delicious. Then we find a Sunday bar for aperitivo and have an Lambrusco spritz - another unique specialty of Mantua, served with a buffet full of beautiful small savoury bites, all included in the Spritz price. For dinner, we have another unique dish of this city - Tortellini filled with pumpkin, amaretti (marzipan style crunchy biscuits), apple mustard preserve and nutmeg, served with melted butter. We have tasted Mantova, in all it's forms.
On our return train to Venice, we end up having to change when we thought we didn't and the daughter looks at some graffiti on the wall as we wait. It says in Italian ( I'll translate): 'Little one, I love you, you can't imagine how much mine you are forever)' and ends with the daughter's and the late husband's initials. We are amazed. He is definitely with us on this trip as we head back to his home town of the Dolomites for Easter.
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