Lombardy · Mantova
Curtatone
A commune of eight frazioni west of Mantova, anchored by the Grazie sanctuary and the 1848 battle that delayed Radetzky's advance.
54 km / 34 mi
Nearest hub (Verona)
14,607
Population
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Best time to visit
Recognised as
Why come
Curtatone is a Mantova commune of eight frazioni in the Parco del Mincio, with its seat at Montanara and its most visited fraction at Grazie. The Santuario della Beata Vergine delle Grazie was commissioned in 1406 by Francesco I Gonzaga and stands on the edge of the Mincio's lower bend, surrounded by lotus flowers that bloom across the river in July and August. On 29 May 1848, Tuscan and Neapolitan volunteers held this stretch of ground against Austrian forces under Radetzky long enough for the Piedmontese army to reorganize at Goito the following day. The battle is remembered nationally as Curtatone e Montanara. Every year around Ferragosto the Antichissima Fiera delle Grazie fills the square in front of the sanctuary; since 1973 the fair has hosted the Incontro Nazionale dei Madonnari, with over a hundred chalk artists working through the night on the pavement around the church.
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Gallery
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Known for
Santuario della Beata Vergine delle Grazie
1406 Gonzaga sanctuary on the Mincio bend, with a unique wooden ex-voto wall lining the nave, and the burial of Baldassarre Castiglione.
Parco del Mincio
Riverine nature reserve around Grazie, with lotus flower expanses that bloom mid-July through August on the lower Mincio.
Monument to the Battle of Curtatone and Montanara
Memorial to the 1848 stand by Tuscan and Neapolitan volunteers against Austrian forces under Radetzky on 29 May.
Chiesa di San Silvestro
Romanesque-origin parish church in the frazione of San Silvestro, one of Curtatone's eight subdivisions.
When to visit
Best months · Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
April through June and September into October are the months Po-valley humidity stays bearable. April brings the Mincio in full water and the wetland birds along the parco. The lotus flowers around Grazie bloom from mid-July into August, a brief overlap with the heaviest summer heat, when temperatures climb past thirty-three degrees and the air thickens. Ferragosto is when the Antichissima Fiera fills the village. November through February is a season of fog: the Mincio disappears into white and the sanctuary square empties. The Festa di Sant'Anselmo is the main spring fixture in Montanara.
How to get there
From Verona, Curtatone is roughly 54 km by road. Allow about 46–65 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).
Drive time to the nearest gateway airports
- Verona50m
- Bologna1h 21m
- Milan1h 42m
Elevation 25 m
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