The ancient stables on the Isola del Te were renovated to build the Te Palace which was intended for leisure, parties and receptions of Corte Gonzaga. The Te Palace was built between 1525 and 1534 on the orders of Federico II Gonzaga in honor of his lover Isabella Boschetti.
The main seat of the Gonzaga in Mantua was the Palazzo Ducale.
The Te Palace, on the other hand, was commissioned by Duke Federico II Gonzaga as a place of training for his horses.
It is a square building, like the ancient Roman domus, at the center of which there is a large square courtyard. The Fruttiere and the Esedra were built in a later period, about the end of the 1500s. The northern wing of the palace (towards the Te gardens) is the ancient stable.
Inside the Te Palace, the most important rooms are: Chamber of the Giants, the Horse Room (the largest for dance parties) and the Chamber of Love and Psyche (intended for banquets).
The most important and famous place of Te Palace is the Chamber of the Giants, a room with rounded walls and entirely frescoed. The theme of the hall is the collapse of the tower that the Giants had built to reach the Olympus of the gods and dethrone Jupiter. Jupiter is depicted throwing lightning, while the other gods watch in fear.
But in the Palace there are many halls and rooms, each with a particular theme.
The apartment of the Secret Garden or the Cave and the Fruttiere, recently restored, complete the large garden of the Esedra. Today Te Palace is home to the Civic Museum and the International Center of Art and Culture of Te Palace.
Mantua and Te Palace are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
