13851385–1598 · Ferrara
The Este court and Renaissance Ferrara
After a tax riot in 1385 the Este lords of Ferrara built a moated castle in the heart of their city. Their court went on to patronise the painters of the Schifanoia frescoes and the poets Ariosto and Tasso, and in 1492 Duke Ercole I began Biagio Rossetti's planned extension, a landmark of Renaissance town planning. Papal rule ended the court in 1598.
Sites
- Site 1: Castello EstenseMoated brick castle with the dukes' painted rooms above and prison cells below.Map ↗
- Site 2: Palazzo dei DiamantiPalace faced with thousands of pointed marble blocks, at the heart of Ercole's extension.Map ↗
- Site 3: Palazzo SchifanoiaEste pleasure palace with the Hall of the Months fresco cycle.Map ↗
Guides who take you there
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