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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Mantua

12 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Mantua, Italy

Updated June 23, 2022

Unusual Attractions in Mantua

Mantua, Italy

Lovers of Valdaro

A young Italian couple has been locked in an embrace for over 6,000 years.

Mantua, Italy

Sala dei Giganti (Chamber of the Giants)

A room filled with frescos that make it seem like the walls are crumbling down while giants die in despair.

Mantua, Italy

Basilica di Sant'Andrea

It took more than 300 years to build this church, which is home to two sacred vessels believed to hold the blood of Christ.

Mantua, Italy

Isola dei Fiori di Loto (Lotus Island)

In Lago Superiore, the largest expanse of lotus flowers outside of Asia is hard to miss.

Mantua, Italy

Rotonda di San Lorenzo

The oldest church in Mantua was buried for centuries under the facades of other structures.

Mantua, Italy

Sant'Andrea's Hare

A hidden bas-relief of a hare on a church main portal that brings good luck to the ones who find it.

Mantua, Italy

Villa La Favorita

The remains of the last Gonzaga villa, a luxurious palace built in spite of an economic crisis.

Mantua, Italy

Mantua Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Pietro)

The seat of the Mantua bishop holds many secrets within its walls.

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Culinary Naples: Producers, Purveyors, and Pizzaioli

From street food to lavish feasts, piping-hot coffee to smooth aperitivos, folk songs to opera, hilltop farms to urban wilds, immerse yourself in the greatest culinary and cultural experiences of Naples, meeting lively local Neapolitani for whom this is the only way to live.

Explore Mantua, Italy

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Architectural Oddities 2

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