Castello Estense
The Castello Estense or castello di San Michele is a moated medieval castle in the center of Ferrara, northern Italy. It consists of a large block with four corner towers.
History
On 3 May 1385, the Ferrarese people, driven to desperation by taxes and flooding that had brought ruin upon them, took themselves to the Marquis Niccolò II d'Este’s palace to ask the advice of Tommaso da Tortona, the high official held to be responsible for this grave situation. Nicolò tried to calm the revolt all day, but by the evening it was clear that the people's spirits were getting more and more angry and that the very safety of the Estensi was endangered. The order was therefore given to summon the disgraced Tommaso, who was given confession and communion and then given to the crowd, who literally tore him to pieces.s near the top.
This episode, which resulted later in the death of the leaders of the revolt, convinced the Marquis that the family's palace was insufficient to guarantee the security of the nobility in the event of riots. He therefore ordered the construction of a defensive fortress on the north side of the Palazzo, entrusting the project to the architect Bartolino da Novara. He used a pre-existing tower, which was part of the defensive walls, at that period very much to the south of the present ones, running, roughly speaking, along the line of the present Corso Giovecca and Viale Cavour. The tower was joined by curtain walls to another three newly built for this project. Between the Este residence and the new fortress was built an aerial passageway to allow people to flee from one to the other.
As the city grew the city walls were moved, so the defensive function of the castle became less important and apartments began to be built in its interior, which was by now considered an annex to the court palace. From the time of Ercole I d'Este on, there are many records of construction of apartments, and of their enlargement and enhancement. The definitive transformation works were ordered by Ercole II after a fire in 1544, which had damaged the previous accommodation. The architect Girolamo da Carpi gave the castle the external appearance which can be still seen today, although the interior has been remodelled several times across the ages. After the departure of the Este to Modena, the castle became the residence of the Papal Legate who administered the Ferrarese territory as civil governor. There were few changes made to the structure of the building, the most obvious being the increase in height of the north ravelin.
In 1860 Ferrara was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. The castle, now state-owned, was bought for 70,000 liras in 1874 by the Province of Ferrara that utilized the structure as headquarters of the Prefecture. In the subsequent decades, the castle underwent many small restoration projects, especially between 1910 and 1930, when some very questionable attempts were done. During World War II it was severely damaged by Allied aerial bombing, thus it was partially reconstructed in 1946.
In 2002, at the initiative of the Provincial administration, the "Castle for the City" project was started: it involved a massive, €2.7m restoration of the castle and a series of exhibition of international significance, such as: "The Triumph of Bacchus: Masterpieces From the Ferrara School at Dresden", inaugurated in 2002 by the then President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, and "A singular Renaissance: the court of Este in Ferrara", inaugurated in 2003 at the Centre for Fine Arts of Brussels and later in Ferrara at the presence of the then President of the European Commission Romano Prodi. In 2004 the whole project of restoration was completed with two significant events: the inauguration of the €1.7m new museum display ideated by archistar Gae Aulenti and the restoration and temporary opening to visitors of the Camerini d'Alabastro, secret rooms built by Alfonso d'Este.
Following the 2012 Northern Italy earthquakes, one of the towers partially collapsed and underwent restoration works.
Exterior
On the outside, the castle essentially presents the appearance given to it by Girolamo da Carpi in the second half of the 16th century. Surrounded by a moat, it has three entrances with drawbridges fronted by brickwork ravelins. The fourth entrance, to the east, was sacrificed to make room for the kitchens.At the bottom, the appearance of the building still recalls a mediaeval fortress, but higher up, da Carpi replaced the battlements with elegant balconies in white stone, making it higher again by constructing a higher storey, covered by a skew roof. The towers were improved and made more graceful with roof terraces.
The courtyard, nowadays fairly austere, was frescoed. In particular, at the top were portraits of all the ancestors of the Este family: the only ones surviving, considerably damaged but still discernible, have been detached and placed under the portico on the east side of the courtyard.
The wells were to provide water in time of drought; the round stone balls that are seen about the place are ammunition for catapults.
Ground floor
Gothic Rooms
The Gothic Rooms are series of four evocative living rooms with cross-vaulted ceilings. The first is certainly the most beautiful, with rich decorations of clusters of flowers running along the ribs of the vault. The room is dedicated to Nicolà II d’Este, who built the castle. At the centre is found a magnificent reconstruction in wood of the castle in the early years of its existence.The three following rooms are dedicated to the Marquises Alberto and Niccolò III and Leonello, and finally Borso, the first duke of the dynasty. A series of panels illustrates the political and cultural life of the period.
Kitchens
The east ravelin of the castle was enlarged and used to house the court kitchens. The first of the two rooms, long and narrow, shows signs of the two distinct functions, military and civil, that it had over the course of time: opposite the entrance can be seen a chimney pipe from the kitchen, while along the inside walls are found arrow-slits for archers, some walled up so as to be nearly useless. In the second room, much bigger and lighter, some stoves have been reconstructed. On one wall is seen the portrait of Cristoforo di Messisbugo, the most famous of the Este's ‘Scalcos’ – the Scalco was the official who supervised many of the practical aspects of court life, organised spectacles, directed the kitchens, and readied things whenever necessary for moves to and from the family's country residences, etc.Dungeons
Shortly after entering a narrow corridor, on the left the low deep doorway that leads into the Don Giulio's dungeon, once allotted for a cell and perhaps also a torture chamber. Notably Giulio d’Este was shut up in this cell for many years; he was the legitimate brother of Alfonso I and the lead actor in a famous and unhappy affair. Going back onto the corridor that goes around the cell, a steep and narrow stairway leads to the cells that held the unlucky lovers Ugo and Parisina. Parisina Malatesta was the second wife of Marquis Niccolò III, who was something of a rake and a great deal older than her. After seven years of marriage that had been generally quite calm, she ended up falling in love with her stepson Ugo, son of the Marquis and Stella dei Tolomei, and he with her. The two young people were discovered, subjected to a rapid trial and finally beheaded. It was 1425; Parisina was 20 years old, Ugo only 19. Coming down the stairway, on the left was Parisina's cell. Following the corridor is Ugo's one, having, on the ceiling, prisoners' writing done with candle smoke.Lion's Tower
Before 1385, since at least one hundred years, on the site where the Castle of Saint Michael was built, an old watchtower stood to defend the northern line of the city walls and, more exactly, the near strategic gate called of the Lion, beyond which a small homonymous district extended. A large canal, that flew into the river Po with its tributaries, defended the northern stretch of walls. At that period the town had developed alongside the left bank of the main branch of the river, whose course in that point opened eastward to form a vast delta. Water provided places, suburbs and the town itself with the most effective protection. Not very long before the construction of the Castle, the watchtower underwent a transformation, ordered by Nicolò II and probably carried out by the same Bartolino da Novara, who would both later have been the future patron and architect of the Castle. Thus, from a high, rectilinear square-planned tower, intended for surveillance and sighting, it turned into a small fort with a much wider base and larger battlements on the first floor, well-equipped according to the latest military defensive techniques. A ramp, that ran along three sides of the stronghold, allowed access to the battlements and was meant to facilitate transport of weapons, artillery and other such loads with the help of animals. The vast rooms at the ground and first floors were used as headquarters for the Este soldiery, whereas the prisons were located in the dark basement. The exterior structure of the stronghold looked the same on all four sides.First floor
The Courts
The Courts have several rooms with remains of frescoes and panels describing the different apartments of the castle.Loggia and Garden of the Oranges
The Garden of the Oranges assumed its current size and characteristics under Alfonso I and evokes powerfully the presence of the court, standing here unseen by the people, amid the perfume of the orange blossoms, admiring the city. The wall of the hanging garden was constructed following the plans of Girolamo da Carpi. Archive documents are rich in observations about the hanging gardens and these have allowed the reconstruction of their various arrangements: from little paths among large flowerbeds of annual plants, to the 18th century arrangement, which featured only citrus plants, in pots that were sheltered in the winter in a Loggia used as a greenhouse.Cabinet of the Bacchanalia
This is a little passageway that was at one time completely painted; the right-hand wall still shows three scenes inspired by the myth of Bacchus.Ducal Chapel
The Ducal Chapel is a little room with elegant geometric lines, destinated to private praying. An old tradition argued that Renée de France - wife of Duke Ercole II of Este who had Calvinist sympathies - ordered this particular decoration, without sacred images. On the walls, coated all over with precious polychrome marbles, no sacred image - either painted or in mosaic - is actually represented, as one would at least expect in the small niches. The vault, conversely, is decorated with frescoes portraying the Four Evangelists against a light blue background, surrounded by cherubs, each of them respectively recognizable by the lion, the eagle, the angel and the bull in accordance with the iconographic tradition.Chamber of Dawn
Located inside the Lion's Tower, the Chamber of Dawn is decorated with a sumptuous ceiling representing the four parts of the day: on the right is the Dawn, a young winged Goddess who advances pulling the horses of the sun's chariot by their reins. Proceeding then in a clockwise direction is the Day, when the chariot of the sun proceeds in all its shining glory, preceded by Dawn with two torches in her hands; then the Dusk, with the chariot of the sun going away towards the horizon; and Night, where Diana, with the lunar disc on her forehead, rejoins her lover Endymion. At the centre is an old man representing the Time, seated between the three Fates - Goddesses of Life and Death. In the lower part is a long procession of cherubs on chariots drawn by every type of animal. The great mirrors that are a feature of this room and the two following were set there by the curator of the restoration, Gae Aulenti, recalling the name of these rooms, recorded in documents as "The Mirror Suite".Saletta dei Giochi
The Saletta dei Giochi has a ceiling decorated, in the centre, with the round dance of the Four Seasons, and around that frescoes with scenes of the Games of Ancient Rome; on the long side a Bacchanal; opposite that the Basket Fight, a sort of boxing in which the competitors had around their hands bandages called ‘baskets’. On the two short walls are represented Gladiator fights. At the bottom, scenes of children's games rendered in the artistic style of Ancient Rome. From the Saletta dei Giochi it's possible to climb right up to the balustrade of the Lion's Tower, from which it is possible to enjoy a good panoramic view of the city of Ferrara.Saletta dei Veleni
The Saletta dei Veleni seems to have been used originally by the court pharmacists to produce medicine and, according to some, also the poisons used against political enemies. The ceiling is from the 20th century and represents Italy surrounded by symbols of conquest from the fascist period.The Hall of Games
This large room was intended for evening amusements, whether concerts or games. The ceiling is divided into eleven panels, each one containing a scene describing a different sport, following the passions of Duke Alfonso II. Not all of them are painted in the same style: the ones on the courtyard side are by Bastianino and represent, from left to right: the all-in wrestling, the lancio delle pietre, and the Greco-Roman wrestling. The athletes are naked in deference to the tradition of ancient Greece. Also by Bastianino is the panel depicting swimming, on the short side next to the Greco-Roman wrestling.Appartamento della Pazienza
At one time this was the first room of the 'Appartamento della Pazienza', made for Ercole II. Its decoration is late, with a neo-Renaissance ceiling; at the edge are represented the signs of the Zodiac. The room is dominated by an enormous reproduction of an 18th-century panorama of Ferrara by Andrea Bolzoni.Gallery anteroom
The neo-Renaissance ceiling displays some of the Este coats of arms. The space is dominated by a large panel that reproduces an antique print showing Ferrara at the end of the 15th century, when the architect Biagio Rossetti had started the enlargement of the city ordered by Ercole I and the new walls had already been built to the North, with the old walls still awaiting demolition. The still navigable Po is in foreground position. At the end of the main piazza, is portrayed a gate which closes it off, while behind the built-up areas the old walls can be seen. Higher up is a second circuit of walls, surrounding a thinly populated area.Hector and Andromache Room
This room was created by shortening the Gallery. In the 19th century Cardinal Tommaso Benetti had the ceiling decorated with an epic scene: Hector leaving his son and his wife Andromache.The large panel reproduces a fresco with a representation of Estense territory: the Duchy of Ferrara at the centre, with Modena and Reggio on the left.