Criterion II
«Mantua and Sabbioneta are exceptional testimonies to the exchange of influences of Renaissance culture.
They represent the two main urban planning forms of the Renaissance: the newly founded city, based on the concept of the ideal city, and the transformation of an existing city.".
Criterion III
«Mantua and Sabbioneta are exceptional testimonies to a particular civilization in a specific historical period, which had repercussions in the fields of urban planning, architecture, and the fine arts».
The prominent role played by the two cities in the diffusion of Renaissance culture, within and beyond Europe, is attested for example by the Palace of Charles V in Granada, inspired by the architectural structure of Palazzo Te in Mantua.
Or from the Citadel of Pamplona, designed by Vespasiano Gonzaga himself to protect the Spanish possessions of Philip II, in which the urban planning principles applied to Sabbioneta can be recognized.