«Mantua and Sabbioneta offer an exceptional testimony to the urban, architectural, and artistic achievements of the Renaissance, linked together through the ideas and ambitions of the ruling family, the Gonzagas.
Mantua, a city whose traces date back to Roman times, was renovated in the 15th and 16th centuries through urban planning, architectural and hydraulic engineering works.
The contribution of famous architects and painters […] made Mantua an eminent capital of the Renaissance.
Sabbioneta represents the construction of an entirely new city, according to the modern and functional vision of the Renaissance. […]
One of the best examples of an ideal city built in Europe, capable of exerting an influence on urban planning and architecture within and beyond the Old Continent.
The two cities represent two significant stages in the territorial planning and urban planning interventions undertaken by the Gonzaga in their domains.".