The Fish Markets by Giulio Romano are the only public building created by the artist in 1536, commissioned by Federico II Gonzaga. The market was held under the arcades that form a bridge over the Rio. Next to them were food warehouses: to your right the fish one and to your left the meat one, with the lost Butcher's, the public slaughterhouse.
The presence of a waterway facilitated transport and trade, and also allowed waste to be easily eliminated, making it one of the cleanest markets of the time.
On the right side of the road you can see the original decorative cladding of the “rustic” structure which Julius Romano also uses for Te Palace. The porticoes in front of you, however, are the result of restoration and partial reconstruction. The Church and Convent of San Domenico once stood in place of the last three arches, of which only the bell tower remains today. The very imposing church was closed during the Napoleonic era and transformed into a meat warehouse. The fishmongers remained active until the 1940s, while the butchers were demolished in 1877 and the convent in 1927.
Giulio Romano's fishmongers host one of the branches of the’Heritage Centre Mantua and Sabbioneta, a widespread space for the narration of the World Heritage site and a place to understand the city's profound connection with water.
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Former Convent of San Domenico
Rio
