Palazzo Bondoni Pastorio Foundation

Palazzo Pastorio was purchased in the mid-fifteenth century by Bartolomeo Pastorio, founder of the noble house, and is famous for having hosted Henry Dunant in June 1859, the day following the start of the battle of Solferino and San Martino. Here, seeing the extraordinary work of helping the wounded by the women of Castiglione, the young Dunant developed the principle of equality and neutrality of the rescuers, following which he wrote the famous book “Souvenir de Solferino”, fundamental for the birth of the Pink Cross International (C.R.I.). The Palace was the home of the Pastorio family, a family at the center of the political, religious and cultural life of the city.

Inside you can admire the “Landscape Hall”, characterized by a late Renaissance ribbed vault and adorned, between the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century, with a series of monochrome views. In the lunettes, inserted in a pergola structure, glimpses of the Pastorio possessions and the landscape of the upper Mantua area mix with free inventions inspired by Roman ruins and expressed with an almost romantic taste. The venue is now an open space for art and hosts major exhibitions. The period environments, enriched by the original furnishings, and the works of contemporary artists merge into a very innovative aesthetic proposal. Already in the mid-seventeenth century, theatrical performances took place in the large “Salone Aureo”, the heart of the Palace, which, thanks to its extraordinary acoustics, constitutes the ideal setting for chamber music.