Jewish families: the Forti
At the end of the 18th century, the Forti family purchased an entire neighborhood to transform it into a stately home. Palazzo Forti is a perfect blend of an elegant bourgeois palace and an agricultural courtyard within the city walls, complete with a hallway, farmers' quarters, barchesse (outbuildings), stables, and barns. Inside, rooms are decorated in neoclassical style. The last owner, Ernesto Forti, who had no children, donated the building to the Jewish Community of Mantua. The Municipality of Sabbioneta purchased it in the 1970s and undertook a conservative restoration to redevelop these spaces. Today, it houses a library, cultural offices, a study center, a guesthouse, and school offices.