Grazie
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
Every 15 August the churchyard of the Gonzaga sanctuary turns into an open-air studio, as madonnari, the pavement painters, gather for their national meeting during a fair first held in 1425. Francesco Gonzaga raised the church in the late 1400s in thanks for the end of a plague. Behind it, boats leave a small landing for trips on the Mincio, seven kilometres from Mantua.
Highlights
- Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine delle Grazie, with its old market portico
- Incontro Nazionale dei Madonnari, pavement painting on the churchyard each 15 August
- Antica Fiera delle Grazie, 12–16 August, with the local cotechino
- Museo dei Madonnari, devoted to the pavement painters' art
- Boat trips in the Mincio park, March to November
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Grazie (Curtatone)), Wikivoyage (Grazie (Curtatone)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Events through the year
- Incontro Nazionale dei MadonnariStreet painters meet on the sanctuary forecourt
- Antica Fiera delle GrazieFair founded in 1425 by Gianfrancesco Gonzaga; try the Cotechino delle Grazie
- Feast of Saint SylvesterPatron of the municipality of Curtatone
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Curtatone), Wikivoyage (Grazie (Curtatone)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Local food & wine
- Cotechino delle GrazieCured meatPork sausage with a municipal De.Co. mark, eaten at the fair
Adapted from Wikivoyage (Grazie (Curtatone)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
4 places to stay within 3 km
- Hotels 1
- B&Bs and guest houses 1
- Hostels 1
- Campsites 1
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Thermal baths nearby
- Thermal spa: Island spa · ~30 min by car
- Thermal spa: Terme di Sirmione Virgilio · ~52 min by car
- Thermal spa: Aquaria · ~58 min by car
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- San Benedetto Po · 22 km
- Borghetto · 22 km
- Sabbioneta · 24 km
- Castellaro Lagusello · 25 km
- Pomponesco · 26 km