Hidden Ferrara: the Renaissance

Ferrara Renaissance - layers of history

The area surrounding the Castello Estense marks the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. This is why we begin our journey through the hidden Ferrara of the Renaissance at this very spot, retracing the discoveries hidden around the majestic fortress.

Ferrara Renaissance - Ferrara goes beautiful

Moving on to the second stop on our itinerary, we walk a few steps to Piazza del Municipio. Here we find a palace that was the first seat of the Este family in the city centre and in which the Municipality of Ferrara is now based. Connected to the Estense Castle through the Via coperta, a corridor designed to allow the nobles to quickly take refuge in the fortress without having to walk on the street, today it has a majestic façade that is the result of renovations in the early 20th century. But what did it look like originally?

Ferrara Renaissance - the centre of power

Still in Piazza del Municipio, we discover traces of an ancient palace and the surrounding area in which the commercial life of the city was articulated.

Time has erased the visible traces of the palace and its structure, but archaeological excavations have revealed the conformation prior to the reconstruction ordered by Eleanor of Aragon, which shaped the square as we see it today.

Ferrara Renaissance - a special garden in the city

Eleanor of Aragon was also responsible for the decision to start living in the Estense Castle, which until then had been used for military and defensive purposes. The castle was remodelled at the expense of Eleonora, who drew on her substantial dowry as the daughter of the King of Naples.

This renovation also gave rise to the hanging garden, a space that was later remodelled by her son Alfonso after the death of his mother.

Ferrara Renaissance - paradise has no secrets

Just before arriving at the next stop, we will have to cross Piazza Trento e Trieste and walk through Via Mazzini, one of the main arteries of the Jewish ghetto. Then we will reach Palazzo Paradiso, the current location of the city's municipal library, through which excellent students such as Niccolò Copernico and Paracelsus passed.

Excavations in this palace have made it possible to reconstruct the particularities of this building and how it fitted into the fabric of the city.

Ferrara Renaissance - boredom does not belong in the house

From Palazzo Paradiso we continue to another imposing palace symbol of the Este government: Palazzo Schifanoia. Now a museum, the palace was part of the dense network of 'Delizie' that the Este family owned in the territory.

Here you will find the impressive astrological cycle of frescoes decorating the Salone dei Mesi and discover traces of a sumptuous past.

Ferrara Renaissance - the city protects itself

Our next stop in search of the hidden Ferrara takes us towards the city walls. A route to discover the defensive structures that stood along the Po in order to reconstruct what they must have looked like at the time.

In fact, traces of large constructions that no longer exist can be discerned within the route, revealing themselves to the eyes of those who know where to look.

Renaissance Ferrara - what a treat Belfiore!

We venture to discover the last stage of our itinerary, and arrive in a green meadow close to the city walls. Here once stood the fascinating Delizia di Belfiore, which flourished mainly due to the interest that Lionello placed in it. Signs of the good life and splendour of the Este family emerge here.