The ducal palace was originally a Modena fortress, which was built in 1125 and later conquered by Mantuans. They added seven towers and called it the castle of Revere.
/>After several Po river floods, in 1332 monsignor Bonfatti gave it to Luigi Gonzaga.
In 1444-1478, marquis Ludovico II transformed it in a fortified ducal palace. This way the building became both a  good defensive outpost and a little rural court at once; still, it worked as a Gonzaga customs house on Po river. This renovation was the first Mantuan work of architect Luca Fancelli, who originally designed also an inner courtyard for the castle. Later it became simply a fortified manor.
Today the building has a “C” layout with an inner courtyard and a Brunelleschi style porch on the ground floor. Its central side is enclosed by two towers.