The ideal way to approach Mantua – Mantova in Italian – is down the River Mincio from Lake Garda. Failing that, stand on the bridge near Porta San Giorgio from where the city's sultry Arabian Nights ' skyline of domes and towers seems to hover above the water. It's ridiculously romantic.

Wrapped in water, where the Mincio broadens into three lakes, Mantua is an overlooked Renaissance gem; a mini-Florence, rich with art, intrigue and infidelities. Where Florence had the Medicis, Mantua had the Gonzagas. Shrewd businessmen who married well, the dynasty ruled the city for more than 300 years, from the 14th century, commissioning the finest Renaissance craftsmen they could afford.

Take the Basilica di Sant'Andrea. Dismissing the original medieval church as too lowly to house its great treasure – holy relics of Christ's blood – Lodovico ll Gonzaga hired the Florentine architect Alberti to design one of the highlights of the early Renaissance. With its lofty barrel-vaulted nave and triumphal-arch façade, the church crowds tiny Piazza Mantegna. To glimpse its glorious dome, I had to stand in the adjacent Piazza Erbe.

The city's heart – a series of interlinked cobbled piazzas, lined with arcades – seems too small for the Gonzaga flamboyance. Ha! Wait until you see their main residence, the Palazzo Ducale. A mini-city of 500-odd rooms and a dozen courtyards, it contained some 3,000 works of art at its height, before overspending and a Habsburg invasion curtailed the Gonzaga's power. Today, its extravagantly decorated rooms are largely empty; highlights include Andrea Mantegna's glorious frescoes, a roof-level rose garden and 16th-century Flemish tapestries from Raphael cartoons (copies of those in the Vatican).

Wilting from such excess, I almost dismissed the nearby Duomo. A mistake. Behind its frothy façade lies an elegant interior by the Raphael student Giulio Romano, another rising star spotted by the Gonzagas.

Equally well-hidden, behind a neoclassical façade, is the Teatro Bibiena, a jewel-box of velvet armchairs and tiers of boxes each with frescoes. It's like stepping into a toy theatre.

The next morning, I took a bus to the sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie, whose interior is lined with bizarre votives: wax or wooden figures in threadbare clothes, footballs, crash helmets, plus a crocodile suspended from the ceiling.

Back in Mantua, I discovered more eye-popping artistry at Palazzo Te. Painted by Giulio Romano for Federico Gonzaga's mistress, the frescoes are fleshy and fulsome: in the Camera di Amore e Psiche, seduction oozes from every wall, while in the Camera dei Giganti, it's all colossal lightning bolts, boulders and columns.

To cool my whirling senses, I took a walk along the lakeside paths. The countryside here is so flat, the waters stretched to the horizon. I passed courting couples, handsome men walking handsome dogs, a jogger oozing an intoxicating aftershave. Phew! This is a city on sensory overdrive.

DID YOU KNOW?

The first concert at the Teatro Bibiena was given by a 13-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

GETTING THERE

Fly to Verona, the nearest airport, with British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com), easyJet (0905 821 0905; easyjet.com) and Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com) from London airports; flybe (0871 700 2000; flybe.com), bmibaby (0905 828 2828; bmibaby.com) and Ryanair fly from various regional airports.

Regular buses (€5/£4.25) take 15 minutes to Verona’s main railway station for the 45-minute train journey (€3.15/£2.70) to Mantua, whose station is a 10-minute walk from the centre.

PACKAGES

Kirker (020 7593 2283; kirkerholidays.com) offers three nights’ b & b at the four-star Hotel Casa Poli from £698 per person, including return flight from London and private car transfers, based on two sharing. Regional departures, such as Newcastle and East Midlands, cost from £799.

THE INSIDE TRACK

The city, with its traffic-controlled centre, is small enough for walking, though bikes can be hired from La Rigola (Via Trieste; 0039 0376 366677; €10/£8.50 per day).

The Mantova Museums Card, valid for a year, gives free entrance to the main museums (€15/£12.75 for five museums, €17/£14.45 for eight museums). Buy at participating museums (turismo.mantova.it).

Some of the best sbrisolona, a traditional nutty cake, is made at Pane al Pane, a tiny bakery at Via San Giorgio 10. Eat it as is, or dip in grappa.

Combine a bus journey to the sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie with a return boat “safari” through the lagoons of the Mincio Nature Reserve (fiumemincio.it).

Corso Umberto I and Via Verdi have the smartest shops but try the side streets for more original finds – Via Orefici has an excellent salumeria and herbalist and Via della Mainolda has art and antiques.

THE BEST HOTELS

Residenza La Villa £

Two miles north of town, this 18th-century villa, overlooking farmland, combines original features – raftered ceilings and marble floors – with startling modernity. The home-made cakes are heavenly (0039 0376 340905; residenzalavilla.it; doubles from €85/£72).

L’Hotel Broletto ££

Centrally placed and above-average three-star whose 16th-century interiors are furnished in a simple, country-chic style (0376 326784; hotelbroletto.it, doubles from €110/£93).

Casa Poli £££

Located 10 minutes from the centre. Don’t be put off by the bland façade as it hides a stylishly minimalist interior – wood floors, bold headboards and funky lights. There are arty books in the lounge and excellent breakfasts (0376 288170; hotelcasapoli.it, doubles from €125/£106).

THE BEST RESTAURANTS

La Masseria £

A popular family restaurant in a vaulted, frescoed 16th-century building. Rustic cooking (pizza a speciality) and fun waiters (Piazza Broletto 8; 0376 365303).

Giallozucca ££

This bright, funky restaurant is located in a small, attractive courtyard; the short menu takes a creative approach to Mantovan dishes, such as green ravioli with duck or purple cabbage risotto (Corte dei Sogliari 4; 0376 222817).

Grifone Bianco ££-£££

Graciously old-fashioned and atmospheric restaurant, producing well-crafted traditional dishes such as pumpkin tortelli and slow-cooked beef. Eat outside opposite the floodlit Basilica (Piazza Erbe 6/7; 0376 365423).

GETTING THERE

Fly to Verona, the nearest airport, with British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com), easyJet (0905 821 0905; easyjet.com) and Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com) from London airports; flybe (0871 700 2000; flybe.com), bmibaby (0905 828 2828; bmibaby.com) and Ryanair fly from various regional airports.

Regular buses (€5/£4.25) take 15 minutes to Verona’s main railway station for the 45-minute train journey (€3.15/£2.70) to Mantua, whose station is a 10-minute walk from the centre.

PACKAGES

Kirker (020 7593 2283; kirkerholidays.com) offers three nights’ b & b at the four-star Hotel Casa Poli from £698 per person, including return flight from London and private car transfers, based on two sharing. Regional departures, such as Newcastle and East Midlands, cost from £799.

THE INSIDE TRACK

The city, with its traffic-controlled centre, is small enough for walking, though bikes can be hired from La Rigola (Via Trieste; 0039 0376 366677; €10/£8.50 per day).

The Mantova Museums Card, valid for a year, gives free entrance to the main museums (€15/£12.75 for five museums, €17/£14.45 for eight museums). Buy at participating museums (turismo.mantova.it).

Some of the best sbrisolona, a traditional nutty cake, is made at Pane al Pane, a tiny bakery at Via San Giorgio 10. Eat it as is, or dip in grappa.

Combine a bus journey to the sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie with a return boat “safari” through the lagoons of the Mincio Nature Reserve (fiumemincio.it).

Corso Umberto I and Via Verdi have the smartest shops but try the side streets for more original finds – Via Orefici has an excellent salumeria and herbalist and Via della Mainolda has art and antiques.

THE BEST HOTELS

Residenza La Villa £

Two miles north of town, this 18th-century villa, overlooking farmland, combines original features – raftered ceilings and marble floors – with startling modernity. The home-made cakes are heavenly (0039 0376 340905; residenzalavilla.it; doubles from €85/£72).

L’Hotel Broletto ££

Centrally placed and above-average three-star whose 16th-century interiors are furnished in a simple, country-chic style (0376 326784; hotelbroletto.it, doubles from €110/£93).

Casa Poli £££

Located 10 minutes from the centre. Don’t be put off by the bland façade as it hides a stylishly minimalist interior – wood floors, bold headboards and funky lights. There are arty books in the lounge and excellent breakfasts (0376 288170; hotelcasapoli.it, doubles from €125/£106).

THE BEST RESTAURANTS

La Masseria £

A popular family restaurant in a vaulted, frescoed 16th-century building. Rustic cooking (pizza a speciality) and fun waiters (Piazza Broletto 8; 0376 365303).

Giallozucca ££

This bright, funky restaurant is located in a small, attractive courtyard; the short menu takes a creative approach to Mantovan dishes, such as green ravioli with duck or purple cabbage risotto (Corte dei Sogliari 4; 0376 222817).

Grifone Bianco ££-£££

Graciously old-fashioned and atmospheric restaurant, producing well-crafted traditional dishes such as pumpkin tortelli and slow-cooked beef. Eat outside opposite the floodlit Basilica (Piazza Erbe 6/7; 0376 365423).