Gonzaga Museum

The Gonzaga Museum, housed in the elegant rooms of the sixteenth-century noble apartment on the main floor of the Rocca di Novellara, recounts four centuries of history and art of the famous Gonzaga family.
Walking among decorated coffered ceilings, friezes attributed to the students of Lelio Orsi , and Veronese marble fireplaces, visitors can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a small, ideal city, the capital of a principality rich in monuments and works of art.

The tour begins with archaeological finds, including Roman heads from the 1st century AD and coins donated to the Municipality, and continues with Romanesque-Byzantine frescoes from 1280 from the ancient Church of San Giovanni della Fossa.
The following rooms house 18 frescoes by Lelio Orsi, Gonzaga court artist for forty years, along with a precious panel painting depicting the "Annunciazione".
Extraordinary works are also on display, such as the 1554 Florentine tapestry commissioned by Alfonso I Gonzaga, a series of family portraits, a historical map of Novellara, and paintings from the Emilian school from the 16th to 18th centuries.
One room is dedicated to Vivaldo Poli, a post-war artist from Reggio Emilia, while a collection of vasi da farmacia from the Jesuit Convent is surprising in its richness and beauty: Venetian and Lodi majolica from the 16th and 18th centuries, decorated with sacred and mythological scenes.
Recognized in 2010 as a “Museo di Qualità" by the Emilia Romagna Region, the Gonzaga Museum offers a unique experience, where the history, art, and culture of the Gonzaga family come to life before visitors' eyes.