Halfway between Mantua and Parma lies the walled town of Sabbioneta, surrounded by the vast fields of the Po Valley. The former residence city, built in the Cinquecento, fell into obscurity shortly after the death of its founder, Vespasiano Gonzaga, for more than three and a half centuries. Today, however, this remote location is regarded as one of the earliest realizations of a "ideal city" of the Renaissance, whose original appearance has largely been preserved. The rediscovery of Sabbioneta, where about 400 people live in its historic core, began in the 1960s through urban and art historical research. The peculiar magic of this artistic site has fascinated not only architectural historians but also some film directors and novelists, who incorporated the melancholic atmosphere of the townscape into their works. This presentation first introduces the origins and urban structure of the newly founded town. The analysis focuses on the buildings of the city from the 16th century and their rich pictorial and sculptural interior decoration, with a detailed discussion of their iconography and political program. In light of the abundance of already published literature with often differing interpretations, this study aims for a critical interim assessment of the divergent "readings" of the reception. It mainly considers publications from the last three decades. Since some areas still lack fundamental research or are only announced as dissertations, the classification of Sabbioneta in urban architecture is by no means complete.