WELCOME PACK

1st World Forum on Urban Forestry Mantova - , 28 November - 1 December 2018 Pag 2 Changing the nature of cities

Pag 3 WELCOME PACK

Pag 4 Summary

Context - Pag 07

• The UN New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals • The Mantova Manifesto and the Mantova Challenge • Introducing Italy • Introducing Mantova • Introducing the Steering Committee: FAO, di Mantova, Politecnico di Milano and S.I.S.E.F. • The Program and the panels

Hospitality - Pag 26

• The venues of the forum • Connectivity • Community • Commitment: Mantova’s plans for a greener, healthier, happier city • Italy greenest city 2017 • Italian Capital of Culture 2016 • European Region of Gastronomy 2017 • The Google Arts&Culture partnership • UNESCO Heritage

Contacts - Pag 45

• World Forum on Urban Forests's Committee • Municipality of Mantova

Pag 5 Pag 6 Context The UN New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals

It’s official: world leaders have adopted the New Urban Agenda, which sets a new global standard for sustainable urban development, and will help us rethink how we plan, manage and live in cities. The New Urban Agenda is roadmap for building cities that can serve as engines of prosperity and centres of cultural and social well-being while protecting the environment. The Agenda also provides guidance for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and provides the underpinning for actions to address climate change. Now it is up to national governments and local authorities to implement the Agenda, with technical and financial partnerships and assistance from the international community. In the New Urban Agenda, leaders have committed to:

Provide basic services for all citizens These services include: access to housing, safe drinking water and sanitation, nutritious food, healthcare and family planning, education, culture and access to communication technologies.

Ensure that all citizens have access to equal opportunities and face no discrimination Everyone has the right to benefit from what their cities offer. The New Urban Agenda calls on city authorities to take into account the needs of women, youth and children, people with disabilities, marginalized groups, older persons, indigenous people, among other groups.

Promote measures that support cleaner cities Tackling air pollution in cities is good both for people’s health and for the planet. In the Agenda, leaders have committed to increase their use of renewable energy, provide better and greener public transport, and sustainably manage their natural resources.

Strengthen resilience in cities to reduce the risk and the impact of disasters Many cities have felt the impact of natural disasters and leaders have now committed to implement mitigation and adaptation measures to minimize these impacts. Some of these measures include: better urban planning, quality infrastructure and improving local responses.

Pag 7 Take action to address climate change by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions Leaders have committed to involve not just the local government but all actors of society to take climate action taking into account the Paris Agreement on climate change which seeks to limit the increase in global temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius. Sustainable cities that reduce emissions from energy and build resilience can play a lead role.

Fully respect the rights of refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons regardless of their migration status Leaders have recognized that migration poses challenges but it also brings significant contributions to urban life. Because of this, they have committed to establish measures that help migrants, refugees and IDPs make positive contributions to societies.

Improve connectivity and support innovative and green initiatives This includes establishing partnerships with businesses and civil society to find sustainable solutions to urban challenges

Promote safe, accessible and green public spaces Human interaction should be facilitated by urban planning, which is why the Agenda calls for an increase in public spaces such as sidewalks, cycling lanes, gardens, squares and parks. Sustainable urban design plays a key role in ensuring the liveability and prosperity of a city.

Pag 8 Pag 9 The Mantova Manifesto and the Mantova Challenge

In preparation of the World Forum on Urban Forests, a multidisciplinary group of experts is working on the preparation of a Manifesto on urban forestry which is intended to provide a vision of how cities around the world can use forests and trees as a tool for improving the health of well-being of their citizens.

Furthermore, in order to provide a roadmap on how cities can achieve this vision, we are preparing a Mantova Challenge which is aimed at stimulating local administrations to take a series of simple and concrete steps to ensure that all the different elements of the urban forest are planned, designed and managed in a sustainable manner.

A series of cases studies illustrating the different approaches that cities have taken to promote the use of urban forest and trees to solve some of the urban challenges they were facing is also under preparation. It is our hope that these tools will play an important role in setting the stage for any follow-up activities to this first World Forum on Urban Forests and that at the next Forum we will be able to report on the positive progress made.

Pag 10 Pag 11 Introducing Italy

Italy has the third largest nominal GDP in the Eurozone and the eighth largest in the world. As advanced economy the country has the sixth-largest worldwide national wealth and it is ranked third for its central bank gold reserve. Italy has a very high level of human development and it is sixth in the world for life expectancy. Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union and the member of numerous international institutions, including the UN, NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the WTO, the G7, G20, the Union for the Mediterranean, the Council of Europe, Uniting for Consensus and many more. As a reflection of its cultural wealth, cradle of and artists such as Leonardo, Raffaello and Botticelli only to mention a few, Italy is home to 53 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. It is also famous for its breathtaking landscapes that go from the northernmost alpine summit of the Monte Bianco, to the nearly desert-like shores of its southernmost island, Lampedusa.

26.482 euro

Capital: Currency: GDP Roma euro per capita

Pag 12 For sustainable cities

Pag 13 Introducing Mantova

Those arriving in are captivated by its unique, timeless allure and welcoming atmosphere. The city enjoys a breathtaking panorama from the shores of its lakes. It appears to be suspended above the water, a protagonist of an almost surreal landscape, composed of a balance of history, art and nature. A visit to Mantua should not be rushed. The city’s squares, passageways and cobblestone streets invite the visitor to slowly take in every one of its monuments and historic buildings in order to understand just why UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site along with the neighbouring town of . Mantua weaves history, art and culture together everywhere, and is surrounded by an unparalleled natural environment. Unique and magical places that make Mantua simply wonderful.

Milano

Mantova

Bologna 2 ore Milano

1,5 ore

30 min

Roma Mantova

1 ora Bologna

3 ore Roma

Pag 14 Pag 15 Pag 16 Introducing the Steering Committee

FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With over 194 member states, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. We believe that everyone can play a part in ending hunger.

FAO creates and shares critical information about food, agriculture and natural resources in the form of global public goods. It plays a connector role, through identifying and working with different partners with established expertise, and facilitating a dialogue between those who have the knowledge and those who need it. By turning knowledge into action, FAO links activities in the field to national, regional and global initiatives in a mutually reinforcing cycle. FAO facilitates partnerships between governments, development partners, civil society and the private sector towards food and nutrition security, sustainable agriculture, rural development and management of natural resources. The FAO Forestry Department, through its urban and peri-urban forestry programme, participates in the efforts to raise awareness and build knowledge about urban forests and trees by producing normative tools, putting information within reach, sharing policy expertise, providing a meeting place for nations, and bringing knowledge to the field. These activities reflect FAO’s vision and commitment to promote greener, healthier and happier cities for all.

MUNICIPALITY OF MANTUA

Mantova strikes the visitor with its welcoming atmosphere. It is a breathless city, floating on water, surrounded by the river banks that give to it a timeless charme, making Mantova the main actor on an almost surreal stage, made of history, arts and nature.

The city is more than 2.000 years old and its origins date back to Italy’s Etruscan time. Mantova’s first relevant development goes back to the time of the Comuni (Free Cities), but it was under the rule of the Gonzaga family, starting in the 14th century, that the city reached its cultural and artistic peak, giving the city its actual urbanist and architectonic shape.

Pag 17 During their four centuries long rule, the Gonzagas, lovers of arts and beauty, hosted the most illustrious and greatest artists of their time, like , , , , e many others, whose artworks characterise Mantova’s today’s splendour.

Symbols of these richness are the Museum Complex of Palazzo Ducale, with the Castle of San Giorgio, within which one can admire the most famous ‘’, by Andrea Mantegna; the suburban villa of Palazzo Te, Giulio Romano’s masterpiece, with rooms and spaces absolutely extraordinary, such as the ‘Sala dei Cavalli’, ‘Sala dei Giganti’ and the ‘Sala di Amore e Psiche’; the Basilica of Sant’Andrea, designed by Leon Battista Alberti and the Basilica Palatina of Santa Barbara. The city enjoyed a great cultural development also in the following centuries, especially during the 700’s. Examples are the Scientific Theatre Bibiena, the City Library Teresiana and Palazzo d’Arco.

The Renaissance style city centre lies inside of the large Natural Reserve of the River Valleys, giving the impression of being sunk in the waters of the three lakes that surround it. As a result, Mantova is also well famous for its natural landscapes, one can explore on foot, by bike or by boat.

Since July 2008 Mantova and the nearby town of Sabbioneta are listed by the UNESCO as World Heritage. In 2016 was awarded the title of Italian Capital of Culture and in November of the same year is awarded Italy Most Liveable City by the magazine Italia Oggi jointly with University La Sapienza of . In 2017 was given the title of European Region of Gastronomy, together with the other provinces of Bergamo, and (East ) and always in 2017 was ranked 1st by Legambiente - Urban Ecosystem Reseach as Italy’s greenest city. In 2019 will be European City of Sport.

Mantova, a 2.000 years old etruscan-roman city that has gone through Renaissance standards, is still an evolving city, yet respecting its history and traditions, creating ongoing dialogues between modern and ancient history, past and future. This strong attitude towards innovation and development is symbolically represented by the urban development plan known as ‘Mantova Hub’; funded partly by the Italian Government with 18 million Euros, it includes the recovery, the redefinition and new functionalities of a space between the Lower Lake’s waters and the city centre, re- thinking and re-designing a system of spaces, currently underused, abandoned and in heavy decay. The development plan will transform the area in collective spaces that will host and connect harmoniously the main features of both natural and urban landscape. Amongst history, arts and culture ineluctably intertwined at every corner, Mantova is a cultural heritage with an essential past to be preserved and pass onto the next

Pag 18 generations as an example of efficient symbiosis between tradition and innovation.

POLITECNICO DI MILANO

Politecnico di Milano is a scientific-technological university, founded in 1863, which trains engineers, architects and industrial designers. The University has always focused on the quality and innovation of its teaching and research, developing a fruitful relationship with business and productive world by means of experimental research and technological transfer.

Research has always been linked to didactics and is a priority commitment which has allowed Politecnico Milano to achieve high quality results at an international level as to join the university to the business world. Research constitutes a parallel path to that formed by cooperation and alliances with the industrial system.

The alliance with the industrial world allows the university to follow the vocation of the territories in which it operates and to be a stimulus for their development. The challenge which is being met today projects this tradition which is strongly rooted in the territory beyond the borders of the country, in a relationship which is developing first of all at the European level with the objective of contributing to the creation of a single professional training market.

Politecnico takes part in several research, sites and training projects collaborating with the most qualified European universities.Politecnico's contribution is increasingly being extended to other countries: from North America to Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe. Today the drive to internationalization sees Politecnico Milano take part in the European and world network of leading technical universities and offers several beside many which are entirely taught in English.

Politecnico di Milano’s unique competences cover 202 of 339 keywords ERC in the fields: • Physical Sciences and Engineering • Life Sciences • Social Sciences and Humanities

First in Italy in 9 research areas: Architecture & Built Environment; Art & Design; Computer Science & Information Systems; Civil & Structural Engineering; Electrical & Electronic Engineering; Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering; Environmental Sciences; Materials Science; Mathematics.

Pag 19 In the top 10 European universities in 6 research areas: Architecture & Built Environment; Art & Design; Computer Science & Information Systems; Civil & Structural Engineering; Electrical & Electronic Engineering; Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering.

In the top 50 universities in the world in 6 research areas: Architecture & Built Environment; Art & Design; Computer Science & Information Systems; Civil & Structural Engineering; Electrical & Electronic Engineering; Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering.

S.I.S.E.F.

The Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF) was founded in 1995 and has its registered office at the Department for Innovation in Biological, Agri-Food and Forestry Systems - DIBAF, Tuscia University, v. San Camillo de Lellis snc, I-01100 Viterbo (Italy).

SISEF Mission • Promoting research and studies on the structure, processes, and functions of forest ecosystems and their management, based on principles of sustainable development and conservation of biodiversity. • Promoting studies of dendrology, tree farming, forest plantations aiming to production, protection, and landscaping. • Encouraging and supporting the network among researchers, scholars, practitioners, and decision makers about the planning, design, management and conservation of forest and landscape. • Facilitating scientific and technical collaboration in the field of ecology and silviculture both at national as well as international levels.

SISEF in action: Creation of thematic working groups on specific research topics of interest Organization of conferences, congresses, fora, symposia, meetings, etc. Patronage of scientific publications

SISEF Working Group on Urban Green Spaces (https://sisef.org/2017/11/16/presentazione-gruppo-di-lavoro-sisef-verde-urbano/ ) The WG is based on the twenty-year collaboration of researchers engaged in promoting the development of knowledge, methods of analysis and transfer of results related to the meaning, functionality and role of trees, woods and green

Pag 20 infrastructures in the urban and peri-urban environment.

The WG intends: • Foster knowledge exchange and scientific discussion on green infrastructure, trees, and forests in the city; • Encourage innovative research projects supporting and sustaining the global challenges that contemporary communities, both urban and rural, are facing for an equitable and sustainable future; • Facilitate the dissemination and accompany the debate on issues related to the quality of the environment and life in cities and in the urban-rural interface; • Develop a network approach to the future environmental issues of cities helping to build interdisciplinary options and lay the foundations for a collaborative approach between scientific, technical, decision-making and community worlds.

Pag 21 The Program and the panels

The aim of this first World Urban Forestry Forum is to highlight positive examples of planning, design and management approaches that cities with diverse cultures, forms, structure and histories have implemented to optimize the contribution that urban forests and green infrastructure can provide in terms of economic development, environmental conservation, improved social cohesion, and increased public involvement.

The event will last four days and will include conference sessions, exchanges, meetings, focus discussions, and public events.

Join us in Mantova 28 november - 1 december 2018

Pag 22 topics day . 01 Issue Past

Changing • Demographic changes; People • Socio-ecological changes • Changes in policy and governance; • Experiences and case studies on community involvement • The history of health and urban environment • Changing Practices about UPF and trees

Changing • The history of cities, green spaces and urban forests Spaces and • Dynamics of city form and size Places • Dynamics in the quality and character of places • Styles and approaches in design and planning

Changing • The urban footprint along time; Environment • Climate change and cities in a historical perspective • Shifts in air quality, pollution, micro-climate, energy, • Past changes in risk management; • Biodiversity in past cities.

Changing • Trends in behaviours, society, needs, preferences, Benefits perceptions; • History of cities and benefits derived by urban and peri-urban forest and trees and green infrastructure components • UPF as source of livelihoods • Changing approaches and practices in achieving UPF and GI benefits

Pag 23 topics day . 02 Issue Present

Changing • State of the art of UF and city governance; People • State of the art of community involvement • Present issues on people, cities, and green spaces; • Equity and gender issues • Current Practices in designing and managing UPF and trees

Changing • Ethics and Aesthetics of UF and Green spaces Spaces and in contemporary urban landscapes. Places • Changes in actual urban forest resources: challenges and implications • Current trends in design and planning UPF and green spaces; • The role of UPF and GI in the urban spaces and places.

Changing • Biodiversity in present cities. Environment • Adaptation and mitigation of climate change • Criticalities of contemporary cities • Environmental justice

Changing • UF and Green Infrastructure: Concepts and realities; Benefits • About differences in services and resources by geo-social contexts; • Ecosystem services and benefits of UF/GI; • Ecosystem services and natural resources in the urban rural divide; • FWW: Food-Wood-Water nexus • Current approaches and practices in achieving UPF and GI benefits

Pag 24 topics day . 03 Issue Future

Changing • Perspectives and Scenarios of urbanization and People urban socio-demography; • New governance and policy perspectives; • Future healthy cities: the prospective role of UPF and Green Infrastructure for the next urban communities • Trends and challenges in UPF and trees practices

Changing • Frontiers and challenges in UF and GI assessment, Spaces and planning, and design; Places • Cities of the future, Urban Forest for the future • Smart cities • Nature based solutions in place making and keeping as a future challenge for the world cities

Changing • Frontiers and challenges in environmental issues and Environment global change for the cities of the future; • UF and GI are (nature based) solutions for the urban environment of the future? • Biodiversity in future cities, Biophilia

Changing • Nature Based solutions Benefits • Green and bioeconomy • Technologies for monitoring and assessment of UPF • Back to the future: the lesson learned about UPF practices as a challenge for the benefits of the next urban communities.

Pag 25 Hospitality The venues of the Forum

Teatro sociale

The Teatro Sociale

It is the biggest of Mantova’s theatre and can host up to 800 people. It was built between 1817 and 1822 by the architect Luigi Canonica. The external facade features six columns and a triangular pediment, whilst inside it hosts two rows of boxes and three of gallery and the ceiling is adorned with frescoes representing mythological characters. However, the theatre’s perhaps most important treasure is contained in its vast archives that can display most of the original posters, dating back to 1822. Nowadays, the Teatro Sociale is the landmark for those in city and in the province who love music and theatre.

Pag 26 University Campus

University Campus at the San Francis’ Convent

The Chiesa di San Francesco ( Italian, "Church of St. Francis" ) is a Roman Catholic church located in the historic center of Mantua, Italy, at Piazza San Francesco d' 5. The church was founded by the Franciscan Order in 1304 but it was not consecrated until 1459, when Pope Pius II performed the ceremony.Suppressed in 1782, it was sacked in 1797, during the Napoleonic Wars, and turned into an arsenal in 1811. Still in military use when World War II began, it was devastated by bombardment during the war. The Cappella Gonzaga, with its frescoes depicting the life of St. Louis of Toulouse ( Italian: San Ludovico d'Angiò ), was saved and recently restored. These frescoes were supposed to have been painted by Serafino de' Serafini,an artist who was active in during the 14th Century. The church was reconstructed in Romanesque and Gothic styles. Now visible are some of the original frescoes depicting St. Francis Receives the Stigmata by Stefano da Verona. Andrea Mantegna's work St. Bernardino of between Two Angels was originally here but it is now at the Pinacoteca di Brera in , Italy.

Pag 27

The Teatro Bibiena

Built between 1767 and 1769, the theatre was designed by Antonio Galli Bibiena from and commissioned by the dean of the Accademia dei Timidi, Count Carlo Ottavio di Colloredo, with the main purpose of hosting scientific assemblies, but also open to plays and concerts. The theatre is part of the much larger Palazzo Accademico complex and has a bell- shaped floor plan. Its layout includes several rows of wooden box seats, according to the type of structure invented in the seventeenth century and which prevailed at that time.

Just over a month after its inauguration, on 16 January 1770, the fourteen-year-old arrived in Mantua on his first Italian tour and, with his father, Leopold, gave a memorable concert. In a letter to his wife, dated 26 January 1770, Leopold Mozart described the theatre and his son's concert as follows:

The theatre is still used to host musical events, concerts and high-level conventions.

Pag 28 Piazza delle Erbe

Piazza delle Erbe and the exhibit area

The medieval period. Around 1000 a.d, Mantua came under the control of the Canossa family and, under the rule of Boniface, became their capital. The Canossa family had a daughter, Matilda; the construction of the city’s oldest church, the Rotonda di San Lorenzo, which was restored in the twentieth century, is attributed to her. With a circular layout, the church contains the women’s gallery along with traces of the original decoration of Byzantine influence. Following the death of Matilda, Mantua became a free municipality. The first expansion of the city is due to Alberto Pitentino, who, in 1190, modified the course of the Mincio River, forming the lakes that surround the city. Many of the city’s towers were built during this period. The tower found at Acerbi is known as “the Cage” due to its sixteenth-century walled structure with external reinforcement where prisoners were pilloried; The Palazzo del Podestà, restructured in the fifteenth century by , who preserved the thirteenth-century façade of the statue of Virgilio in Cattedra (“ at Desk”); the Masseria (“manor farm”), where the oldest image of the city is preserved in its fresco, and Palazzo della Ragione, destined for the ministry of justice, overlooking Piazza Erbe, which was then, as it still is today, the location of the market. The Chiesa di Santa Maria del Gradaro (Church of Santa Maria del Gradaro), which was built in 1256 outside the city walls, also has a medieval layout.

Pag 29 Palazzo Te

Palazzo Te

The residences of princes. The Gonzagas lived in prestigious residences. The oldest and most complex, from an architectural point of view, is the Palazzo Ducale, which, with its magnificent rooms, numerous buildings connected by corridors and galleries, courtyards, squares and gardens - one of which is hanging - is among the most extensive palaces in Europe. Official residence of the Lords of Mantua until the seventeenth century, the complex has undergone changes and adaptations according to the aesthetic tastes of the different eras. It houses masterpieces of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries such as the Halls with Pisanello’s Arthurian cycle, Mantegna’s Camera degli Sposi in the Castle of St. George, the Studio of Isabella d’Este in the Corte Vecchia with its the precious cabinetry works, the Appartamento di Troia by Giulio Romano in the Corte Nuova (New Court) and ’s complete cycle of woven Flemish tapestries. At the opposite end of the city lie the private residences and representative services of the Gonzaga family. The Palazzo di , built in the early sixteenth century by Francesco II, housed the nine paintings that make up the Trionfo di Cesare (“Triumph of Caesar”) by Mantegna, now preserved at Hampton Court (London). The palace is home to the Museo della Città (City Museum), with works that recount the emblematic moments of Mantuan civilization. Palazzo Te, built by Federico II, was the palace of Honesto Ocio (“honest leisure”), where the prince could find intellectual restoration. An absolute masterpiece of Giulio Romano, built between 1525 and 1535, the building houses the Room of the Horses, dedicated to the fine horses bred by the Gonzaga family, the Chamber of Amor and Psyche to accommodate the most distinguished guests for banquets and dinners, and the Chamber of the , with its astonishing audio and visual effects, which was built in honour of Emperor Carlo V, who granted Federico the title of Duke.

Pag 30 Bosco Fontana

Bosco Fontana

Mantua offers a network of cycling routes within the city, which makes it possible to quickly reach the different cultural centres, and an equally extensive network of cycling routes, immersed in an exceptional natural environment. The principle path is the pedestrian and cycling trail that winds around the city along the shores of the three lakes. The route travels through the Parco Periurbano until it reaches the left bank of Lago Superiore and the gardens of Belfiore, and on the right the shore of Cittadella, where the sixteenth century Porta Giulia, designed by Giulio Romano, is found. From here you can continue the trip to the Rocca di Sparafucile, where you can enjoy a picturesque view of the city. On the shores of Lago di Mezzo is also the Parco della Scienza, a path equipped with interactive devices to playfully experiment with a variety of scientific phenomena. Cycle routes depart from the city to the tourist destinations of the province and . The Mantua-Grazie bike trail is approximately 7 km long, starting at Lake Superiore and following the provincial road leading to Grazie di . The Mantua- Peschiera bike trail extends for about 43 km on mostly flat terrain, and allows many stops of cultural interest such as Bosco della Fontana, Borghetto, Castellaro Lagusello and Peschiera, a fortified town on Lake Garda. The Sabbioneta-Mantua bike trail is 47 km long; it connects the two cities which have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Along this stretch is the pontoon bridge at Torre d’ , with the Torrazzo built by Vespasian Gonzaga and finally Sabbioneta, the ideal city.

Pag 31 Piazza Virgiliana

Piazza Virgiliana the Bosco della Fontana and the outdoor activities

Piazza Virgiliana is a vast green area of the city of Mantua, commissioned in 1797 by the French general de Miollis in order to honor the poet Virgilio. In Piazza Virgiliana, a first monument to Virgil was erected on the initiative of General De Miollis, who inaugurated it on 21, 1801. It consisted of a high column on top of which was placed a bronze bust of the poet, by Giovanni Bellavite. Its location was in the center of the Virgiliana square as desired by the architect Pozzo's project. Once the city under Austrian domination returned, in order to make military exercises possible, the column was moved to the edge, towards the lake of Mezzo in the place where the monument currently exists. Finally, in 1821, the Virgilian column was demolished [2] to make room for the Virgilian Amphitheater designed by the Mantuan architect Giuseppe Cantoni. The bust of Virgilio was moved to decorate the Municipal Palace.

Pag 32 Connectivity

Flight connections (Verona, Bergamo and Bologna)

The closest airport is located in Villafranca, Verona, 33 kilometres away from Mantua. The main national flights arrive from Rome, Bari, , Cagliari, Olbia, Salerno, and . www.aeroportoverona.it Other nearby airports: "Gabriele D'Annunzio" in Montichiari, Brescia (Km. 60), "" in Parma (Km. 60) , "Borgo Panigale" in Bologna (Km. 100) and "Orio al Serio" in Bergamo (Km. 100).

Rail and road connections

By train it is possible to reach Mantua from Verona (45 minutes) and from Modena (55 minutes) - since it is on the Modena-Verona line - and from Milan (2 hours). The following lines also pass through the city: Milan - Cremona, - , Pavia - - Padua, . The station is just a few minutes away from the historical centre on foot.

By car, Mantua is reached by the A22 Modena-Brennero autostrada (exits at Mantova Nord, 4 kilometres from the city centre, and Mantova Dus, 11.5 kilometres from the centre), the A4 Milan- autostrada, wth exits at Desenzano, Sirmione, Peschiera and Verona Sud, in addition to Autostrada del Sole A1, exits at Parma Est and .

VA and Phygital City

"Phygital" is the synthesis between the physical and the digital experience. A service that provides the right to benefit from a direct service with the city, the administration and the services; where tourists can visit the city and work in a new and customized way, interacting with the media available and where to virtual Assistant- Virgilio - suggests the visit and plans according to Functional the preferences, the physical position and the temporal context.

Pag 33 IT: 4G, 5G and free wifi

WIFI - Main tourist routes and squares (see Map) - indicative area 4 sq km - each Access point has a total throughput of 50 mbps

4G - TIM OPERATORS, H3G, WIND, VODAFONE - COVERAGE OF 100% SITED CENTER - equal to about 50 sq km.

Community

Italy’s highest quality of life city 2017

In october 2017, the yearly research published jointly by the Italian financial newspaper ‘Il Sole 24 Ore’ and one of the most prominent and oldest Italy’s environmentalist association, ‘Legambiente’, crowned Mantova as the greenest of Italy’s cities. With an overall score of 75,4%, Mantova ranked first for the quality of its tap water and in the top 10 as far as square kilometers of pedestrian areas, cycle paths, public transport, number of trees/inhabitants, recycling, that is in seven out of the overall 16 fields of evaluation.

Pag 34 Commitment

Mantova’s plans for a greener, healthier, happier city

The ordinary maintenance of the green is done according to a program of interventions constantly monitored from an accounting and technical point of view. In recent years extreme weather events have occurred: in particular in 2016 an anomalous thermal and rainfall regime characterized by heavy rains and gusts of wind has caused extensive damage to the arboreal heritage Among the interventions made in recent years there are: Renewal of the arboreal heritage, in particular: • Replacement of felled trees with plants more resistant to extreme weather events • Planting new plants: 300 in 2017 • Strengthening of public lighting in gardens • Redevelopment of historic gardens (i.e. Giardino Valentini)

Each tree is regularly registered and included in the GIS (Geographic Information System) IT platform.

5.000m2 PEDESTRIAN AREAS

100km CYCLE PATHS

16.000 TREES

Pag 35 Italy greenest city 2017

In november 2016, the yearly research published by ‘Italia Oggi’, an Italian newspaper specialised in Public Administration affairs, together with the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, ranked Mantova as Italy’s city with the highest quality of life. Considering fields such as Business and Employment, Environment, Crime, Welfare, Population, Financial Services, Healthcare System, Free Time and Living Standard.

Pag 36 Italian Capital of Culture 2016

Mantua is a jewel of the Renaissance, famous throughout the world for its history, priceless art treasures and natural beauty. It has been awarded the title of Italian Capital of Culture for the year 2016. This acknowledgement is the result of an ambitious project that is not limited to emphasising its historical heritage, but also aims to encourage the development of new cultural policies that combine tradition and innovation for a new Renaissance.

«On 27 October of last year, the day Mantua was named Italian Capital of Culture, the city accepted the challenge of cultural and economic regeneration, which requires three fundamental ingredients: teamwork, innovation and courage - said the mayor, Mattia Palazzi. - This acknowledgement gave the people of Mantua confidence and enthusiasm, and allows us to build important relationships throughout Italy and Europe. We have worked passionately to build an internationally scaled project based on a systematic approach that relies on new technologies and community involvement».

Mantua is the homeland of Virgil and the Gonzaga court, who attracted art and architecture geniuses - Leon Battista Alberti, Andrea Mantegna, Giulio Romano - and literary and musical geniuses - and . Together with Sabbioneta, it is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site: this is the Mantua that everyone has heard of, which enchants and astonishes tourists from all over the world. However, the city has so much more to offer: its current multifaceted identity is the result of cultural stratification that occurred over the centuries, and the Mantua 2016 project will allow everyone to fully understand it. To understand its evolution, it is necessary to rediscover what happened during the more obscure centuries in the city's history. Uncovering memories, places, and artistic expressions has become a path of regeneration for the community identity.

Mantua's uniqueness lies not only in its art and architecture, but also in the beauty of its territory and in the variety of its cuisine. This city was built on water, and is still surrounded by a green oasis. Therefore, it is a destination for nature tourists, food and wine enthusiasts and sports lovers of all ages. For its natural and historical characteristics and small size, Mantua is already a city with a human dimension. As the Italian Capital of Culture, it will be a workshop and an open laboratory for sustainable innovation where citizens and visitors can get involved. People can really become the main players in the city’s daily events, thanks to the Mantova Tourism app, one of the components of the technological platform designed for this year. The app allows for an experience an unprecedented

Pag 37 interaction between the physical world and the digital world. Especially created residents who live and work in Mantua and tourists looking to discover the sights and events, the app provides useful information and allows users to check the availability and schedules of sites selected. Thanks also to the artificial intelligence that manages the technological platform, each user will be receive indications of personalized itineraries to better enjoy their visit to the city. A full range of investments in technology have helped Mantua to advance to fourth position in the Smart City Index 2016, Ernst & Young's ranking of the most technological Italian cities.

2016 is the year for Mantua to open to the future, to become a national and international meeting place for the development of new cultural paradigms. Without forgetting its heritage, the city plans to renew itself as a centre for ideas to accommodate contemporary creativity. Thinking of culture understood as the engine of civilization, prosperity, and economic progress, Mantua's governance is evolving towards a networking model to promote integration between cultural development and economic sectors. A special committee of important people of culture has developed a broad program with thousands of events. In fact, until December, Mantua will become a "city-stage", thanks also to contributions from the nearly 70 other municipalities in the province and various local businesses and organisations that are already suggesting projects for the programme.

The heart of the event will be the historical centre, with its palaces, porticoes, churches and squares: a large, interactive museum that puts artistic expression in relation to the architectural heritage. Six thematic paths will allow visitors to discover the charm of Mantua in the different time periods: the 18th century, the contemporary era of creativity, the Jewish heritage, the ancient city of Virgil, and the city during the Risorgimento () and also during the Renaissance. The public is invited to participate dynamically in cultural events and, therefore, in the regeneration of Mantua’s identity through workshops, exhibitions, concerts and events that will break the boundaries between artists and spectators.

European Region of Gastronomy 2017

Mantova was European Region of Gastronomy 2017. The main event was #EatMantua that focuses on the intense relationship between Art-Food-Power. At the dawn of our civilization the convivium and the symposium were the fundamental moments of encounter, hospitality (xenia in Greek), and community building. In

Pag 38 continuity with this tradition, they entered the life of the Renaissance and modern courts and, hence, the Palazzo Te and Mantova.

The Google Arts&Culture partnership

A collaboration between the city of Mantua and the Google Cultural Institute to make available on the Google Arts and Culture platform some of the most iconic places of art and masterpieces of the Italian Capital of Culture 2016. The event took place in the presence of , Chairman of the Board, Mattia Palazzi, Mayor of Mantua and Giorgia Abeltino, Director of Public Policy Mondo, Google Cultural Institute.

The project has seen a close collaboration between the municipal administration of Mantua, in particular the Department of Urban Regeneration of Lorenza Baroncelli, and Google to realize in Mantua the first experience of artistic enhancement accessible to all users of the world thanks to Google technology. From Art Camera, the camera to generate images of paintings with the highest possible resolution, to Street View, through the virtual tours of Cardboard, these technologies provided by Google to make accessible online the masterpieces of Palazzo Te and, from the next few weeks, the works inside the Bibiena Theater, Palazzo del Podestà, the Teresiana Library, Palazzo San Sebastiano, the Temple of San Sebastiano and the Museo Diffuso.

Using Google Street View technology, users can now make a 360-degree visit to the Museum and Park of Palazzo Te, and admire the decorative complex of the Palace, with masterpieces such as the Chamber of Giants, the Chamber of Love and Psyche and the Chamber of the Sun and the Moon.

Not only that, thanks to a virtual reality tour, it is possible to move inside the Camera dei Giganti, the most famous and spectacular hall of Palazzo Te, inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses. To access the tour simply wear a Google Cardboard, a simple virtual reality viewer, and download the Cultural Institute's Arts & Culture app on

Pag 39 your smartphone (iOS and Android), or visit the dedicated website. Experts and enthusiasts will be able to observe, in the smallest detail, the painted surfaces created by Giulio Romano in the Camera dei Giganti: for the first time a room has been entirely shot at very high resolution and made available in this format on Google Arts & Culture. Moreover, using the technology of Google Art Camera, users from all over the world have the opportunity to admire the details of over 40 works of art, including the Portrait of Giulio Romano by , a masterpiece that came to the Gonzagas in the 16th century.

Finally, it will be possible to analyze - through more than 130 images related to the collection of classical and modern art of the Museo di Palazzo Te and 6 different digital exhibitions - the history of the works of artists Zandomeneghi and Spadini, of Mantuan painting in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, of the most representative rooms of the Palazzo Te decorative complex and discover the main charm motifs of Palazzo Te: stylistic variations, the play of shadows, the combination of architectural elements.

Mantova & Google Arts and Culture

Pag 40 UNESCO Heritage

The UNESCO Universal Declaration of Universal Value states that "Mantua and Sabbioneta offer an exceptional testimony of urban, architectural and artistic achievement of the Renaissance, linked together through the ideas and ambitions of the ruling family, the Gonzagas. They represent the most eminent examples of the two most emblematic modalities of the urban planning of the Renaissance, respectively the evolutionary one and the foundational one. As such, they have served as a reference for most of the subsequent experiences of building the city up to the modern era ". The strategy of protection and enhancement of the UNESCO site is the subject of a management plan, subject to periodic monitoring and revision. The Municipalities of Mantua and Sabbioneta have structured an office that operates transversely to the two bodies for the realization of research and development projects, education and cultural animation and promotion. The office is deputed to the linking of structures and bodies operating in the areas defined by the Management Plan. The choice of the Milan Polytechnic to open a Polo in Mantua dedicated to Architecture and subsequently to install the UNESCO Chair testifies to the importance of recognition in the scientific and cultural reflection of the city.

Mantova: Unesco Heritage

Pag 41 Pag 42 Mattia Palazzi Mayor of Mantova

" The Mantova Forum will raise awareness amongst a worldwide audience on such a critical issue as urban forestry.

We will engage policy-makers around the world to make our cities greener, healthier and happier "

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Contacts

World Forum of Urban Forests Official website: wfuf2018.com E-mail: [email protected]

Comune di Mantova Official website: mantova2017.it E-mail: [email protected]

Photo credits: Gianmaria Pontiroli.

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