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Mantova

Mantua
Comune
Comune di Mantova
Panorama of Mantua
Panorama of Mantua
Mantua is located in Italy
Mantua
Mantua
Location of Mantua in Italy
Coordinates: 45°9′23″N 10°47′30″E / 45.15639°N 10.79167°E / 45.15639; 10.79167Coordinates: 45°9′23″N 10°47′30″E / 45.15639°N 10.79167°E / 45.15639; 10.79167
Country Italy
Region Lombardy
Province / Metropolitan city Mantua (MN)
Frazioni Castelletto Borgo, Cittadella, Curtatone, Formigosa, Frassino, Gambarara, Lunetta, Virgiliana
Government
 • Mayor Mattia Palazzi (PD)
Area
 • Total 63.97 km2 (24.70 sq mi)
Elevation 19 m (62 ft)
Population (31 June 2009)
 • Total 48,353
 • Density 760/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Mantovani
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 46100
Dialing code 0376
Patron saint Anselm of Lucca, the Younger
Saint day March 18
Website www.comune.mantova.it
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Mantua and Sabbioneta
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Mantua2 BMK.jpg
Location Italy
Type Cultural
Criteria ii, iii
Reference 1287
UNESCO region Europe
Inscription history
Inscription 2008 (32nd Session)

Mantua (Italian: Mantova [ˈmantova]; Emilian and Latin: Mantua) is a city and commune in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name.

In 2016, Mantua became Italian Capital of Culture, as chosen by the Italian Government on 27 October 2015 (the official opening ceremony was held on 9 April 2016). In 2017, Mantua will also be European Capital of Gastronomy, included in the Eastern Lombardy District (together with the cities of Bergamo, Brescia and Cremona).

In 2007, Mantua's centro storico (old town) and Sabbioneta were declared by UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family has made it one of the main artistic, cultural, and especially musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole. Mantua is noted for its significant role in the history of opera; the city is also known for its architectural treasures and artifacts, elegant palaces, and the medieval and Renaissance cityscape. It is the place where the composer Monteverdi premiered his opera L'Orfeo and where Romeo was banished in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It is the nearest town to the birthplace of the Roman poet Virgil, who was commemorated by a statue at the lakeside park "Piazza Virgiliana".

Mantua is surrounded on three sides by artificial lakes, created during the 12th century, as the city's defence system. These lakes receive water from the Mincio River, a tributary of the Po River which descends from Lake Garda. The three lakes are called Lago Superiore, Lago di Mezzo, and Lago Inferiore ("Upper", "Middle", and "Lower" Lakes, respectively). A fourth lake, Lake Pajolo, which once served as a defensive water ring around the city, dried up at the end of the 18th century.


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