Palazzo Te

Commissioned to Giulio Romano by Federico Gonzaga of the Marches in 1525  as a residence for his official lover, Isabella Boschetti, it was realized, construction and decorations, in record time of ten years under the brilliant direction of Giulio Romano, one of the best students of Raffaello, artist of great ability both as an architect and as a painter and with great organization abilities. The curious name is the original name of the location in which the palazzo, also called "palazzo of the lucid tricks" rose, originally at the center of a wooded island surrounded by the waters of the lake which have now dried up.
The Palazzo was not conceived as a regal residence but as a place of amusement, parties, ceremonies and rites, and as it was used for the first time, only half-finished, in 1530 for the celebration in honor of Carlo V.
The layout is very simple: almost a square shape, the building revolves around a central courtyard in a succession of rooms richly decorated and frescoed with mythological characters, while on the upper floor you will find the service rooms. Above on the opposite side of the entrance there is a large geometric garden, which is separated by two fishponds; the garden is closed in the back by an exhedra.