Mantua, as Verona, was historically a court city, ruled by the Gonzaga dynasty from 1328 through the seventeenth-century. When the pope traveled to Mantua in 1459 he complained it was an unhealthful place, plagued by damp, humidity, frogs and malaria. Indeed, though a water city like Venice, its muddy streets and swamp-like site commanded little prestige. It was the enlightened Lodovico Gonzaga (ruled 1447-78) who realized the role art could play in burnishing the luster of his minor court. Inviting the esteemed Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti and painters such as Pisanello and Andrea Mantegna to Mantua, Lodovico harnessed the arts to transform a backwater into a stage for Gonzaga political ambition. It eventually paid off: in 1530, Lodovico's great grandson Federico succeeded in elevating his title from Marquis to Duke of Mantua . The family's patronage of the arts continued as long as their political stars shone, and today small-town Mantua is home to some of Italy 's greatest art and architecture of the Renaissance period.

The fortress-like Castello di San Giorgio, the former palace of the Gonzaga, is not an inviting structure -- nor was it ever meant to be. But an airy, “break through the walls and ceiling” masterpiece awaits you in the so-called Camera degli Sposi, painted by Andrea Mantegna and completed in 1474.

The square room is frescoed on all four walls, in the semi-circular lunettes, and on the ceiling vault. It originally served as Lodovico's bedchamber, and also, as a personal audience room where he received important visitors to court. Mantegna completed the decoration after a working period of almost ten years. During this time Lodovico gave him a monthly allowance, housing, enough food for a household of six, and firewood. The relationship between patron and artist has certainly changed considerably since the fifteenth century -- with more autonomy for the artist, but also, less material stability.

There is much to delight the eyes in the Camera degli Sposi. My favorite part is seen when you look upwards, towards the vault. Mantegna has used paint to create the illusion that there is a great circular opening to the sky, known as an oculus. Clouds float by, giving a sense of airiness to the small, ground-floor chamber. The most famed oculus of antiquity lights the Pantheon in Rome, and this is no doubt where Mantegna got the idea to render a fictive version here. You can witness how avidly he studied the ruins of Rome if you look at the cityscape of the fresco painted to the right of the entrance door. You will be able to easily recognize the Colosseum, for example, as Mantegna paints the scene with an almost archaeological exactitude.