Esedra di Palazzo Te Mantua 2026

Esedra di Palazzo Te, Mantua

The Esedra is the open-air garden space of Palazzo Te, the Mannerist villa on the southern edge of Mantua commissioned by Federico II Gonzaga and designed and built by Giulio Romano between 1525 and 1535. Romano conceived every element of the complex himself, from the architecture to the fresco cycles inside, including the celebrated Sala dei Giganti. The villa's formal garden is closed at its far end by a semicircular colonnade known as the Esedra, a structure added between the late sixteenth and the first half of the seventeenth century.

Summer performances staged here place the audience inside a Renaissance garden, with the colonnade as a scenic backdrop and the palace itself a few steps away at Viale Te 13.

The performance space

This is an open-air courtyard venue rather than a theatre with fixed stands. Seating is set out on the flat garden ground in front of the semicircular Esedra colonnade, and the layout changes from production to production. Check your ticket for the row and seat arrangement used at your specific event.

Getting there

APAM urban buses connect Mantova railway station with the palace (line 2 covers the trip in about 7 minutes), and a free shuttle, the Navetta Te, runs to Palazzo Te roughly every 15 minutes (weekdays from 7:00 to 21:00, weekends from 9:00 to 21:00). By car, the venue is at Viale Te 13, 46100 Mantova.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Esedra an indoor or outdoor venue? It is entirely open-air, set in the garden of Palazzo Te in front of its semicircular colonnade, so dress for the evening weather.

Can I visit Palazzo Te itself? Yes. The villa is a museum with Giulio Romano's fresco cycles, including the Sala dei Giganti; museum opening hours are separate from evening event times.

How old is Palazzo Te? Giulio Romano designed and built the villa between 1525 and 1535 for Federico II Gonzaga; the Esedra colonnade closing the garden was added later, between the late 1500s and mid 1600s.