Palazzo d’Arco | Sala degli Antenati

The Palace, residence of the noble and ancient family of the Counts of Arco, was built in 1784 based on a design by the neoclassical architect Antonio Colonna. The family moved permanently to Mantua in 1740, inheriting the residence on Piazza d’Arco from the Chieppio.
The d’Arco family hosted Leopold and Amadeus Mozart between 1769 and 1770 on the occasion of a trip to Italy and the inauguration of the Teatro Bibiena.
In 1872 the property corresponding to the old Chieppio residence was enlarged by Francesco Antonio d’Arco who purchased the area located beyond the exedra, which includes the garden and some Renaissance buildings, from the Marquises Dalla Valle.
The interior spaces, the entrance hall, the staircase and the courtyard are of great artistic and architectural value. Whoever travels along the adjacent Via Portazzolo can see, along the side of the building, the remains of the structures prior to the renovation.