Right now you are probably thinking, "Wow! An UNESCO World Heritage Site; sounds important." Well, your instincts are correct....it is important and I'm going to briefly tell you why.
What exactly is UNESCO?
Under the United Nations (UN), a specialized agency was created to carryout the UN's mission of ensuring peace and security by the promotion of universal respect and international collaboration through educational, scientific and cultural methods; thus, the birth of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). Out of its 195 member state agency, 21 create the UNESCO World Heritage Committee which catalogs and conserves sites of significant importance to the heritage of humanity in general. With 981 sites on the list, Italy contains the highest concentration with 49; one being the city of Sabbioneta.
Preserved Sabbioneta
Located between the cities of Parma and Mantua and roughly two hours southeast of Milan by car, Sabbioneta is the "ideal city" of late Renaissance architecture and city planning. The city, which still lies within its original 16th century defensive walls, makes the visitor feel as if the city was still under the rule of the Gonzaga family.
As we trekked our way on the river rock roads towards the center of Sabbioneta, we had an unique opportunity to experience an Italian Renaissance welcome. You see, it was around noon and do you know what happens in a old city when the clock strikes noon? Find out by watching this short clip.
Just like most tourists do we wondered the streets until we found an open attraction. By doing so, this gave us our first stop in Sabbioneta...the Palazzo del Giardino (Garden Palace). With a rather dull outside, this 16th century building had a outstanding inside. The perfect comparison would be Iowa's state rock...the Geode; rough on the outside but beautiful on the inside. Directly adjacent to the Palazzo del Giardino was the Galleria degli Antichi; which in it's prime, housed the duke's collection of ancient statues, hunting trophies and other valuable processions. This happens to be Italy's third largest gallery.
Galliera degli Antichi looking towards the Palazzo del Giardino
With a location on the main plaza, our next destination was the Palazzo Ducale (the Ducal Palace).The rooms of the palace were completely decked out with intricately carved wooden ceilings and frescoed walls. These ceilings were so remarkable, they outshone the other artifacts on display in the rooms. Just look at the photos.
Fireplace in the Duke's Palace
Wooden Ceiling in the Duke's Palace
Close up of the ceiling details in the Duke's Palace
A Slight Disappointment
Being a tourist destination and listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, we were shocked to find we weren't able to enter some of the places due to the fact they were closed and didn't open until 3:30 pm. Sabbioneta is home to some remarkable places like Europe's first theater that wasn't built from pre-existing structures and an architecturally beautiful Jewish synagogue. Unfortunately, those places were closed when we were there, so I don't have any pictures of their insides.
Teatro All'Antica
Outside of the Jewish Synagogue (right)
Chiesa della Beata Vergine Incoronata
The "Felice Nel Box" Project
With an interesting plot, this indie project tells the story of a family who took a gravestone from the deprived Jewish cemetery in Sabbioneta in order to preserve the Jewish history. The purpose of this video production is to raise funds to help restore the earthquake damaged Jewish synagogue in Sabbioneta. Checkout the promo video here: Felice Nel Box
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