All right, it's an awesome day and we are ready to visit Mantova for the first time
Zeno ready?
zio, I like your shirt
zio Antonio is not convinced that the pulse rate of the valves in the veins is lower than the heart rate: how is that possible Giorgetto?
Giuppi Tours has scheduled us for a boat trip with lunch included, on the Mincio
not without a coffee first, come with me zio Bebe'
ready for it? We are going to fill half of the boat with Lessanas only!
remember the TV series "Love Boat"?
welcome on board
grande Zeno, are you excited?
that's a true love boat kiss
that is taking it a bit too far...of course Paolotto is involved!
oh oh, Paolotto is contagious
this is Castello di San Giorgio
very nice picture, brava Taira!
another good one! A hello for Marco and Matilde, who are so far away and could not come
the love corner
ready for the kiss moment? papaTeo is more than ready, try him with your mouse
viva l'Italia!
two nice young men
the tour brings us coasting along Mantova old town, with nice views of the palaces and churches
two beautiful ladies
ready for 'la chiusa' Zeno?
Nic has very good eyes for details, always had...
viva il Mincio, zio Dome would say in sicilian: "Mincio chebbbelllo!"
lunch time
zio Bebe' is excited
papaTeo engages in nice engineering conversations with zio Antonio
gen X corner
gen Z corner...or wait, is Nico part of gen Alfa?
OK, Giorgetto is trying a potato suction exercise that looks disgusting, try him with your mouse
what does Alyssa think about it? Try her with your mouse
Agata proudly carries the name of her school, with a masterpiece logo showing the pi as a double T
looks like papaTeo has inherited the hand waving from nonnoCla as well?
the after lunch bio dip hits hard
zia Marcella is always full of compliments for Giorgetto
tech gadget of the Lessanas XII edition: a charger with a capacity of 10 cell phone batteries!
apart from the sign, this looks a fantastic hangout spot guys!
the Giuppies
cugino Giorgio tries to pull off some magic
zia Cippi definitely succeeds where mammaVale fails, try her with your mouse
cugino Giorgio is like a circus, the crowd starts to gather around him
the pink Samba are a cult by now
the bio dip hits a little later for the baby boomers and gen Z
what now Zeno?
it's Palazzo Ducale time
a lovely walk in Piazza Sordello
la Cattedrale di San Pietro apostolo looks like a interesting patch of styles over the years
here is the entrance of Palazzo Ducale on the left, while Palazzo del Capitano is on the right
for every situation, super zia Giuppi has a remedy
here we enter Palazzo Ducale, the royal residence of the Gonzaga family
look at nonnaLu climbing the stairs like a 'stambecco'
the magic cane of nonnaLu: zero hosts
one host
7 hosts!!
quite the ceilings
The Gonzaga family lived in the palace from 1328 to 1707
Zeno like it?
yeah, it's quite rich isn't it?
Agatina is impressed
oh oh, zio Dome is not happy that Olghetta does not remember this Madonna from Florence, try her with your mouse
second floor
what a room!
imagine a dance party here, in the 16th century
Paolotto has some dancing skills, he can carry!
bravi!!
Giuppi Gonzaga room
you have to lock in Nic
love the clouds carrying men like flying carpet
it definitely has a regal atmosphere
try Nic with your mouse
what are Fede and Vale looking at?
the coins of the 15th century, with the Gonzaga icon of course
every ceiling in every room is decorated, it's unbelievable!
il corridoio dei busti
this is the Gonzaga collection of art
amazing what they had
the benches are a blessing
this is a representation of a female animal, did it really exist?
telescopic rooms...
...the complex includes some 500 rooms and occupies an area of c. 34,000 m2, which make it the sixth largest palace in Europe
after the palaces of the Vatican, the Louvre Palace, the Palace of Versailles, the Royal Palace of Caserta and the Castle of Fontainebleau
Nic is praying we don't do all the 500 rooms!!
best moments by far: lying down and watching the ceilings
this is the eagle, the logo of the Gonzaga family
what kind of function could be for such a big room? A living room?
this one is clearly a bedroom
sala dei fiumi
il giardino pensile
the 'campana' sound adds to the atmosphere
let's go see piazza delle Erbe
Zeno where did you get that? Can I try it? Try him with your mouse
there it is
this is called Torre dell'Orologio
really quite beautiful, it was built towards the end of 15th century
the white church on the left is called Basilica di Sant'Andrea
it took 328 years to build: from 1472 to 1800!
it was commissioned by guess who? A Gonzaga of course!
papaTeo's lower back needs a nice stretch, can mammaVale hold as hard as zia Ale?
Dusaaaaaaan!
papi, this looks fire, try it with your mouse
oh Zeno, with all the seniors we have in the Lessanas, the youngest one needs the chair? Yes, we'll get a extra one for next year!
Paolotto modeling a Taira shirt, try him with your mouse
aperitivo sul Mincio
what a spot zia Ste, good find: try it with your mouse
Spritz cheer
beer cheer
papaTeo finds a romantic spot
...which of course does not last long
kick him away!
zio Dome has a magnetic mind
can Zeno be like zio Dome?
Paolotto can!
Mojito cheer
nice outfit zio Antonio! Check out Paolotto dancing with zia Cippi
still hungry after the appetizer? No problem, we are in the pizza country!
next day: Palazzo Te, another palace of leisure of the Gonzaga; given the line, must be worth it, good thing nonnaLu has her favorite gig!
that is quite impressive Olghetta Nico and Paolotto, you really look like comfortably sitting on a chair!
nonnaLu with the younger generations, try them with your mouse
grande nonna, this wall sit is dedicated to Steven, the favorite trainer that comes to via Penice every two weeks!
cugino Giorgio impresses with his cell phone cover
so does papaTeo with his magnetic cell phone clip
who has such big muscles in the family? Try him with your mouse
Federico II Gonzaga was the 15th century equivalent of Donald Trump
the palace also sports a Picasso collection, let's check it out!
this room is completely frescoed
it's probably the most impressive room of all, check out the video
papi, is that a human or a horse?
the palace was originally named after Il Te, the suburb where it was built,
referring to a "linden grove" ("boschetto di tiglio") that once grew in the area
once the palace was erected it took only 10 years for a huge team of painters to decorate all the rooms
this style of painting is called Mannerism, from the 16th century (just before Baroque)
Giulio Romano's illusionism invents a dome overhead and dissolves the room's architecture in the Fall of the Giants
this is instead a classic Picasso painting
yes, also the "100 miles man" needs rest
Picasso has this questionable style, some people adore it, some people are skeptical
a secret cousins game, try it with your mouse
here is a Minotaur: Picasso was fascinated by the monstrous half-man, half-bull Minotaur of Greek mythology
that became a recurring feature in his art from the 1920s to the 1950s, appearing in around 70 different artworks
Giuppi is an insatiable art visiting machine, she wants to see everything! PapaTeo enjoys running (instead of walking) to see the last room
nonnaLu enjoys some rest with her beloved nephew
last lunch with the Lessanas, is this a good spot Lys?
casually reading Il Corriere della Sera, check out who has a 'rubrica' on the medicine page, try him with your mouse
nonnaLu cures everyone
8 hungry youngsters that deserve a nice panino, after enduring so many artworks!
my sister is just perfect, she saved some 'salame di cioccolato' from yesterday's dinner, can you believe it? This totally hit the spot
time for the last hugs
a gigantic Lessanas hug, ciaoooooo see you next year!
going back to the car, Mantova stadium is full, Nic is excited to listen to the fans
here is the stadium, Mantova plays in serie B, pretty good!
