The Palazzo Ducale – the Ducal Palace – was Gonzaga family's residence from 1328 to 1707; today it is a museum. Actually, it is a huge group of buildings giving onto Piazza Sordello – the most ancient are Palazzo del Capitano and Magna Domus -, including 15 gardens and courtyards, a castle, a palatine basilica dedicated to St. Barbara, a theatre, the Domus Nova, a great museum, the government building and the sumptuous prince's apartments. Maybe it is not correct to call it a palace; with its 500 rooms, it was more as a small city inside the ducal capital city.

Several wonderful frescoes deck the palace: Pisanello (1432-1438) depicted episodes of King Arthur's legend, Andrea Mantegna (1465-1474) frescoed the famous "Camera Picta" in San Giorgio castle, while Giulio Romano frescoed Appartamento di Troia – id est the Apartment of Troy. 

Still, how not to mention the Galleria della Mostra – id est the exhibit arcade -,  where the majority of the incomparable “Celeste Galeria” paintings were; or duke Vincenzo's apartment, which hosted some very precious wooden ceilings from Palazzo di San Sebastiano, or the elegant small study of marquise Isabella; or the rooms newly decorated in XVIII century, such as Galleria degli Specchi, Sala dei Fiumi, Stanze degli Arazzi – whose walls were covered with 9 XVI century Flemish tapestries based on cartoons by Raphael.

But you may also see important canvases by Rubens, Fetti, Viani, Bazzani and other Mantuan painters, Roman statues – some of which come from Sabbioneta -, frescoes, and several terracotta artefacts from ancient Mantua buildings.