Castello Estense

Castello Estense (Este Castle), also known as Castello di San Michele (Saint Michael’s Castle), is a moated medieval castle in Ferrara, located in the historical center of the city.

SHORT HISTORY OF CASTELLO ESTENSE

In May 1385, the people of Ferrara, hearing of another tax increase, revolted against it. The Marquis Niccolò II d’Este tried to calm them down, but when he realized the people were getting more and more angry, he handed over to them the high official held responsible for the taxes, Tommaso da Tortona, and the crowd tore him to pieces.

After this incident, Niccolò II considered it essential to equip himself with a fortified structure for the defense of his court. The work was commissioned to the architect Bartolino da Novara, former architect of Castello Visconteo of Pavia and Castello di San Giorgio of Mantua. The first stone of the Este Castle was laid on September 29, 1385, the day of Saint Michael.

Bartolino da Novara used a pre-existing tower (Torre dei Leoni), added three more towers – the Marchesana Tower to the southeast, the Tower of San Paolo to the southwest, and the Tower of Santa Caterina to the northwest, and then joined them with thick walls defended by an external moat.

After a serious fire that broke out in 1554, the Este Castle was renovated, first by Girolamo da Carpi, and then by Alberto Schiatti. The intervention of Girolamo da Carpi led to the replacement of the medieval dovetail battlements, typical of military architecture, with marble parapets, and saw the addition of the roof terraces.

With Alfonso II d’Este, the entire Castello Estense was renovated, starting from the internal courtyard up to the halls of the noble floor. Under the direction of Alessandro Balbi, the Ducal Chapel was also restored.

After the death without heirs of Alfonso II in 1597, Ferrara returned under the direct government of the Papal States. The cardinal legates, sent by the pope to administer the city, settled in the castle, and the structure definitively lost its defensive role.

In 1860, Ferrara became part of the Kingdom of Italy, and Castello Estense became state property. In 1874, it was purchased by the provincial administration of Ferrara, which began to use the castle as the seat of its offices and the prefecture.

On May 20, 2012, a strong earthquake caused considerable damage to the castle, in particular to the Tower of the Lions. The renovation of the Este Castle began in the same year, and was completed in 2015.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE ESTE CASTLE

In the early 16th century, Duke Alfonso I had the great hall of the court kitchens (Cucine ducali) built on the foundations of the ancient Lion’s Gate. The banquets of the court consisted of countless courses interspersed with theatrical shows and musical entertainment.

The prison of the castle is located at the level of the moat, in the basement of the Tower of the Lions. Here, the Este family locked up high-ranking people, not common prisoners who were held in the prison of Palazzo della Ragione.

The Orange Garden was arranged during the rule of the same Alfonso I. In 1531, the crenellated perimeter wall of the garden was built, then it collapsed and was rebuilt several times over the centuries.

Originally, the Cabinet of the Bacchanalia (Camerino dei baccanali) was a small study where the gentleman retired with only the company of books. Towards the end of the 16th century, the room gradually transformed into a place used for the collection of various works of art.

The Ducal Chapel (Cappella ducale) was built between December 1590 and December 1591, by the will of Alfonso II, the fifth and last duke of Ferrara. The vault of the chapel is decorated with frescoes portraying the Four Evangelists (Saint Mark, Saint Luke, Saint Matthew and Saint John) against a light blue background, surrounded by cherubs.

The Chamber of Dawn (Sala dell’Aurora) is located inside the Tower of the Lions, and has a sumptuous ceiling decorated with frescoes depicting the four parts of the day. The scenes are generally interpreted as an allegory of human life, marked by the rapid passing of time.

The Hall of Games (Salone dei giochi) is a large room intended for concerts and games. The ceiling is divided into eleven panels, each one containing a scene describing a different sport.

The Patience Suite (Appartamento della Pazienza) is the apartment made for Ercole II – Duke of Ferrara between 1534 and 1559, decorated by Girolamo da Carpi according to a refined iconography inspired by the virtue of Patience.

The Hall of Hector and Andromache (Sala di Ettore e Andromaca) has the ceiling decorated with the epic scene of Hector leaving his son and his wife Andromache.

The Government Room (Sala del governo), created for the same Ercole II, displays the splendid original ceiling with painted and gilded lacunars. In the center, in the large oval, is represented the Myth of Pan.

The Devolution Hall (Sala della devoluzione) has a ceiling frescoed in the 19th century, depicting the devolution of Ferrara of 1598, from the House of Este domination to that of the Papal States.

The Landscapes Hall (Sala dei paesaggi) takes its name from the band decorated with fine landscape frescoes, painted in the 18th century by an unknown author.

The Hall of the Coats of Arms (Sala degli stemmi) displays two series of decorations from the Papal States period.

HOW TO GET TO CASTELLO ESTENSE

Castello Estense is located about 1.5 kilometers away from the Ferrara railway station. The closest bus stop is Cavour Giardini, located about 140 meters away, in Viale Cavour, on the bus Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11 and 21.