Dogana Palace

The history of this impressive façade at number 27 on Via Pomponazzo is a particularly intriguing one. It can be traced back to the time when the Customs House and other public buildings were transferred to the former Carmelite Monastery, built in the 15th century. This transformation was completed thanks to the Veronese architect Paolo Pozzo (1741-1803), who took up residence in Mantua in 1771 and worked on numerous renovations to the city's architectural heritage. But he wanted to embellish his work further, bringing the old marble doorway from the old site in Piazza Broletto (most probably a 1538 work by Giulio Romano), to the new Customs House as a decorative element. The portal is Ionic, with Corinthian bases on the half-columns and images of porters carved into the pendentives of the arch. What is striking, however, in the whole façade, is the neo-classical take on the grandeur of Giulio Romano, made motionless by a scenic desire that no longer corresponded to the constant quest for motion.