Piazza Sordello is the oldest square in Mantua, and was probably the location of the Etruscan town. The existing layout is thanks to the Gonzagas, whose immense living quarters, fronted by the Palazzo Ducale, frame the east side. Sideways onto the palace, the towering, creamy cathedral sports three styles: a late-baroque facade (c 1750), a Gothic left side and a Romanesque belfry. At the square's southwest corner the flat-fronted, red-brick Torre della Gabbia dates from the 13th century.

　　Look out for the gabbia (cage) dangling from one side – people who'd offended the authorities were incarcerated in it.