WORLD HERITAGE. Criteria for selection

Criterion II

«Mantua and Sabbioneta are exceptional witnesses to the interchange of human values of the Renaissance culture.

They illustrate the two main forms of Renaissance town planning: the newly founded town, based on the concept of ideal city planning, and the transformed existing town».

Criterion III

«Mantua and Sabbioneta are exceptional testimonies to a particular civilization during a specific period of history, with reflections on urbanism, architecture and fine arts».

The leading role played by the two cities in spreading Renaissance culture, in Europe and elsewhere, can be seen in the Palace of Charles V in Granada, which was inspired by the architecture of the Palazzo Te in Mantua.

Another example is the Citadel of Pamplona, designed by Vespasiano Gonzaga himself to protect Philip II’s Spanish possessions, which features the same urban planning principles used in Sabbioneta.