Mantua is surrounded by a province full of surprises: Renaissance towns, Benedictine abbeys, villages on the water and the morainic hills rising towards Lake Garda. Almost everything is within thirty to forty-five minutes by car.
If you arrive by train and hire a car or a bike, leave your suitcases at Mantova Locker, near the station, and set off for the day luggage-free.
At a glance: 1 day or more · car or bike · day trips
The stops
1. Sabbioneta
The ideal city built by Vespasiano Gonzaga in the 16th century, a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Mantua: the Teatro all’Antica, the Galleria degli Antichi, Palazzo Giardino and the bastioned walls.
2. San Benedetto Po and the Abbey of Polirone
One of Italy’s great Benedictine abbeys, founded in 1007 by the Canossa family and linked to Matilda of Canossa, who was buried there in 1115: her remains were later moved to St Peter’s in Rome. The basilica was redesigned by Giulio Romano; the cloisters house the museum of Po Valley folk culture.
3. Grazie di Curtatone
The village on the Mincio with the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie and its famous crocodile. On Ferragosto (15 August) the churchyard fills with madonnari (pavement chalk artists) for their national gathering.
4. Bosco della Fontana
The nature reserve that grew out of the Gonzaga hunting forest: centuries-old oaks, flat trails and a hunting lodge at its centre.
5. Castellaro Lagusello
A fortified village in the morainic hills, one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in Italy”, overlooking a small heart-shaped lake surrounded by a nature reserve.
6. Borghetto sul Mincio
Just over the border in the province of Verona: watermills beneath the Visconti bridge and the trattorias serving Valeggio’s tortellini. You can also get there by bike along the Mincio cycle path.
Visit Mantua luggage-free
Leave your suitcases, backpacks and bags at Mantova Locker and travel light: we are at Via Solferino e San Martino 4, just a short walk from the railway station, open 24 hours a day. Find out how it works, our prices and where to find us.
Practical tips
- Many villages are poorly served by public transport: to see more than one in a day, you need a car.
- By bike, Grazie, the Bosco della Fontana and Borghetto can be reached on cycle paths along the Mincio.
- Check opening times and closures of museums and churches, especially on weekdays and out of season.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to see near Mantua?
Sabbioneta, the Abbey of San Benedetto Po, the Sanctuary of Grazie, the Bosco della Fontana, Castellaro Lagusello and Borghetto sul Mincio.
What are the most beautiful villages near Mantua?
Sabbioneta, San Benedetto Po, Castellaro Lagusello and, just across the border in the Veneto, Borghetto sul Mincio.
Can you get to Lake Garda from Mantua?
Yes: Peschiera del Garda is about 45 km away along the Mincio cycle path, or you can go by train via Verona.
More Mantua itineraries
- Mantua in one day: a walking itinerary through the Gonzaga masterpieces
- A weekend in Mantua: what to see in two days of art, theatre and lakes
- Mantua in half a day: what to see between trains
- Mantua on the water: lakes, boat trips on the Mincio and lotus flowers
- Mantua by bike: the lakes loop and the Mantua–Peschiera cycle path
- Mantua for food lovers: an itinerary of pumpkin tortelli, risotto and sbrisolona
- Palazzo Ducale and the Camera degli Sposi in Mantua: a visitor’s guide
- Palazzo Te in Mantua: what to see in Giulio Romano’s villa
- Sabbioneta from Mantua: a day trip to the Gonzaga ideal city
- Mantua with kids: things to do among castles, boats and nature
- Mantua for free: what to see without spending a penny
- Mantua in 3 days: a complete itinerary of the city, the lakes and Sabbioneta
- How to get to Mantua: train, car, plane and getting around town
- When to visit Mantua: the best time, season by season
- Mantua by night: sunset over the lakes, aperitivo in the piazza and theatres
- Musical Mantua: Teatro Bibiena, Mozart, Monteverdi and Rigoletto
- Mantua in the rain: museums, palaces and arcades for an indoor day
- What to see in Mantua
