Let's move on to Piazza Sordello, behind the Duomo, where the house of the court jester has been identified as the current House of Rigoletto.

A location that does not correspond with the description in the opera libretto ("in a far-off alley" at the "most deserted end of a blind street") but which - curiously enough - perfectly matches the indications given by Victor Hugo and the librettist Piave.

This mediaeval dwelling was later renovated in the 15th century: as well as coinciding with the last remaining example of a two-storey building with an enclosed garden typical of Renaissance Mantua, it has a proximity to the Duke's residence that seemed perfect for a court servant.

Featuring two courtyards and a romantic loggia on the upper floor known to music enthusiasts as "Gilda's balcony", it borders a small garden in which a bronze statue of Rigoletto by sculptor Aldo Falchi was erected in 1978. Now a tourist office for the province of Mantua, it was inhabited for centuries by the Canons of the Cathedral.

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Ph: Mincioedintorni.com