B6. Palazzina Gonzaghesca - Parco delle Bertone - 10km

Not far from Mantua, I find a romantic forest-garden that I do not recall ever seeing in my life. A park where storks reign and where tall trees watch me from above. Watching the Ginkgo biloba, the tallest tree on the Italian peninsula, brings back memories of the deeds of a great Scaliger figure, whose fame became as elevated as the tree I observe: Cangrande Della Scala. Perhaps, more than his exploits, the mystery of his death at only thirty-eight years old remains more fascinating, so much so that many believed for centuries that he had been assassinated. He was the patron who made the cities under Scaliger rule great. Although I do not belong to his house, my highest esteem goes to his legendary persona. Cangrande was the incarnation of the archetype of the military leader, and the cultural flourishing, peace, and prosperity during the peak of Scaliger governance are owed solely to him.