Pescherie di Giulio Romano

The intervention by Giulio Romano consisted certainly in the design of the building. His style is visible in the overall decoration, in the blocks forming the pillars and the walls of the building. The main feature is the rustic ashlar, one of the main elements characterising the work of Romano. Here the roughness of the overall design is due to the fact that these constructions were intended for humble, though important, trades. The space was indeed meant for workshops. The ashlar portico was to become one of the most used elements in the inventions of Romano in the years preceding his death.  

It must be noted that the original destination of the Pescherie is not certain. Some believe that they were part of the Beccherie also from a functional point of view. It must be stressed that from 1526 Giulio Romano played an increasingly important role in the overall urban planning of Mantua: after being appointed Vicar to the Court and Superior General of Gonzaga buildings and streets of Mantua (city architect), Giulio Romano was entrusted with overseeing the paving of the streets, which meant, in other words, that his vision encompassed the whole network of city streets. The eastern Pescheria that we can admire here is smaller than the western one, but it overlooks one of the most beautiful areas, where the Rio flows creating a luminous relationships with the houses surrounding it.

Both the Pescherie are covered with tiles in rustic ashlar, many are also carved with curious graffiti. It is evidently impossible to say whether this was an idea of Giulio Romano, because of the continuous renovations and because it is difficult to identify a precise and specific intention. The geometric play has, however, inspired many to speak of a kind of ideographic language, which is probably not casual.

Over the eighth pilaster, on the right of the facade of the western Pescheria that looks towards the bridge of San Silvestro, it is possible to see the date 1931 inscribed in the stone. This is, in fact, the year the complete renovation of the whole right side of the building was carried out, making this building longer than the eastern Pescheria.  

A last look at the Pescherie allows to grasp the suggestive superimposition of constructions from different periods: the bell tower of St. Dominic is the only trace left of the large church dedicated to the saint and of the convent that used to stand next to it; these two buildings were demolished at the beginning of the 20th century.