Commissioned by the Duke of Mantua Federico II di Gonzaga for his lover Isabella Boschetti, Palazzo Te in Mantua is a masterpiece of Mannerism (late Renaissance style) by architect and painter Giulio Romano. Built between 1524 and 1534, Palazzo Te was a magnificent suburban villa intended for otium (leisure time) and parties of the Gonzaga court, rulers of Mantua.

The name Palazzo Te is due to the fact that the building was erected on an islet called Tejeto, perhaps from the Latin tilietum, a place with linden trees; it was then shortened to ‘te.’ This islet surrounded by the Mincio river housed, during the 15th century, the stables of the Gonzaga family. Their main residence was the famous Palazzo Ducale, another must-see of Mantua, in the historic city center.