Palazzo D'Arco
Historical Mantuan residence of the D'Arco Counts from Trento, the palace is a significant example of Neoclassical architecture (1782-1792) in the heart of Mantua. It was inhabited until 1973, when the last descendant of the D'Arco family, marchioness Giovanna D'Arco, died. This aristocratic abode preserves its eighteenth/nineteenth-century charm intact: the itinerary winds through its numerous rooms with their original furniture, ceramics, valuable silver, paintings, the vast library and an historical archive where ancient documents and scrolls are kept. The visit further includes the beautiful Zodiac Room, with 16th-century frescoes by Giovan Maria Falconetto, and the Museum of Natural Science, Mantua's first natural museum, which displays the collection that Count Luigi D'Arco, enthusiast naturalist and botanist, put together in the 18th century. A gorgeous romantic garden, that recalls Bertone Park in many respects, frames the house.
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