Galleria degli Antichi

About the museum

The Galleria degli Antichi, also known as the “Corridor Grande”, stands on the Piazza d'Armi in Sabbioneta, the ideal city founded by Vespasiano Gonzaga. It was built between 1583 and 1586 to house the duke's archaeological collection, made up of antique marbles bought mainly in Rome and Venice after his return from the Spanish court in 1578. The exterior of exposed stone is marked by twenty-six arches over a length of about 97 metres: after the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, it is one of the longest in Italy.

The Museo di Vespasiano once displayed around fifty statues, one hundred and sixty busts and eighty reliefs from the classical age, to which stag antlers given as a gift by the Emperor Rudolf II of Habsburg were added. In 1774 the collection was confiscated by the Austrian administration and transferred to the Accademia di Belle Arti di Mantova; today the marbles are displayed in Mantua, in the gallery of the Mostra di Palazzo Ducale, and in the Museo della Città di Palazzo di San Sebastiano.

The walls were frescoed in 1587 by the painters Giovanni and Alessandro Alberti from Arezzo, with architectural perspectives on the short sides and thirteen allegorical figures on each side, celebrating the duke's virtues and the glory of his family: among them Victory, Peace, Concord, the theological and cardinal virtues and the liberal arts. The gallery is part of the UNESCO site “Mantua and Sabbioneta” and can be visited with the Palazzo Giardino ticket or with the single ticket for the city's monuments.

Highlights

• Gallery about 97 metres long with twenty-six arches
• Fresco cycles from 1587 with allegorical figures
• Built to house the antique marble collection of Duke Vespasiano Gonzaga
• Ticket combined with Palazzo Giardino
• Part of the UNESCO site “Mantua and Sabbioneta”

Permanent exhibition

• Galleria degli Antichi – The long frescoed gallery built to house the antique marble collection of Duke Vespasiano Gonzaga, with allegorical cycles on the walls.

Founded

1584

Operated by

Fondazione Sabbioneta Heritage

Admission & discounts

The single ticket at €10 covers Palazzo Giardino and the Galleria degli Antichi together and has no reductions; it is sold only at the Infopoint ticket office at Piazza d'Armi 1. Free for licensed tourist guides, residents of Sabbioneta, teachers accompanying school groups and group leaders. Also valid with the Mantova e Sabbioneta Pass and the Abbonamento Musei Lombardia (after registration at the Infopoint).

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

By car: A1 exit Parma Est (30 km), A21 exit Cremona (47 km), A22 exit Mantova Nord (40 km). Mantua–Sabbioneta cycle path, 47 km.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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