{"id":3803,"date":"2014-10-26T15:21:37","date_gmt":"2014-10-26T14:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickzullo.com\/?p=3803"},"modified":"2021-09-17T01:32:02","modified_gmt":"2021-09-16T23:32:02","slug":"palazzo-te-fall-giants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/palazzo-te-fall-giants\/","title":{"rendered":"Palazzo Te and the Fall of the Giants"},"content":{"rendered":"
After concluding our meetings and seminars at TBDI in Rimin<\/a>i, our group of international bloggers was quickly whisked off in a private bus for our post-conference tour in the Verona\/Garda area of northern Italy. \u00a0The weather was turning nasty, but it was comfortable inside our coach, snacks were provided<\/a>, and someone else was driving.\u00a0 So I sat back and relaxed for a couple of hours as we made our way towards our first stop just outside of Mantua.<\/p>\n Thankfully, the rain ceased and the sun fought to peak through the clouds just as we pulled up to Palazzo Te.\u00a0 From the vantage point of the wet parking lot, it wasn\u2019t overly impressive\u2014but then again, your criterion for what\u2019s impressive gets grotesquely distorted the more you travel in Italy.\u00a0 Lethargic and a bit weary from my travels, I didn\u2019t really anticipate the remarkable works of art that we were about to encounter once inside.\u00a0 We were in for quite a surprise, and we had the perfect guide to lead us through this unexpected discovery.<\/p>\n We all knew Lorenzo quite well already, as he had been one of the group leaders during our stay in Rimini for the big TTG Incontri<\/a> trade show.\u00a0 He was the facilitator between us\u2014the writers\/bloggers\u2014and the high-profile travel industry brands that were attending the conference.\u00a0 But at Palazzo Te<\/a> he was really in his element, as he introduced us to some of his \u201cfriends,\u201d Federico Gonzaga II, a.k.a. the Duke of Mantua; and the Renaissance master Giulio Romano who designed and decorated the sprawling palazzo on the swampy grounds of a former horse stable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n