Palazzo Ducale, i.e the Duke of mantua's abodei is a munumntal cimplex located between Sordello Square and the Lago Infereriore. It could be mentioned as one of widest adobes all over the world (it is almost 34,000 sqare metres wide). It was built between the 13th and the 18th century, thus being, because of its stylistic discontinuity but also of its armony almost a uniqueness in architecture. The greatest artist from each hisrorical period took part to its decoration:Bartolino da Novara, Antonio Pisano (known as "il Pisanello"), Andrea Mantegna and Giulio Romano.

The «Dwarfs flat» is loceted under Ferdinando Gonzaga's flat, inside the Domus Nova (which was built by Luca Fancelli in the 15th century). The flat, also known as "Scala Santa" (Holy Staircase) is actually a small reproduction of the Scala Santa of San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome, The whole flat consits of a tangle of tiny rooms (previously ideentified as Court Catacombes). It is trditionally called Dwarfs' flat because one wrongly believed it to be hosting the court dwarfs. It was built in 1615 for disire of the Duke Ferdinando Gonzaga who was a Cardinal as well and used it as a private devotional place. One enters it throgh a tangle of tiny rooms adorned with stucco frames and located around an octagonal room, symmetrical with a chapel, which recalls the Sancta Sanctorum in Rome. Here the relics were exhibited and to worship them the believers had to go along on their knees one of the three small staircases which start from the open gallery of Ducale garden.