Este Castle: The Pulsating Heart of Ferrara

(photo credit: Sylvie Demeux)

A Journey Through Towers, Moats, and Centuries of History

Ferrara is a city that doesn’t reveal itself quickly. It unfolds slowly, around the corner of a quiet street or within the folds of its golden light. But there is one place that does not hide: the Este Castle, mighty and majestic, standing guard over the heart of the city for centuries. It is not just a castle. It is a perfect balance between power and beauty, between military austerity and Renaissance harmony. It is the exact center—geographically and symbolically—from which everything takes shape.

A Fortress on Waters of Dreams and Tempests

Built in 1385 by order of Niccolò II d’Este after a popular revolt, Este Castle rose as an imposing defensive fortress, with brick walls, a still-visible moat, four towers, and its perfectly preserved drawbridge. Designed by architect Bartolino da Novara, it incorporated military solutions already seen in Pavia and Mantua.

Ferrara is a living city, and the castle evolved along with it. When the Este family transformed Ferrara into a refined and cultured capital, the fortress also dressed in elegance. Court and city began to speak to each other—and they did so through architecture.

From Fortress to Symbol of Power and Beating Heart of the Renaissance City

Este Castle is not just at the center of the map—it’s at the center of an idea of the city. With the “Addizione Erculea” (1492), commissioned by Ercole I d’Este and designed by the brilliant Biagio Rossetti, Ferrara became the first modern city in Europe: a city conceived before it was built, where Renaissance rationality found its perfect expression.

The castle became the focal point of this new urban vision. The avenues radiate from it like rays from a sun; the main streets seem to acknowledge its centrality. No longer merely a defensive structure, it became a symbol. From here extend the harmonious geometries designed to combine safety, prestige, and beauty. Ferrara was drawn starting from the castle—and in this design, people still walk, live, and dream today.

Today’s Museum Path Offers an Extraordinary Range of Rooms:

·       Hall of the Dawn (Mirror Chambers): allegorical ceiling with depictions of Time and gilded decorations.

·       Hall of Games: frescoes celebrating sports and courtly pastimes.

·       Hall of Government, Hall of the Devolution, Hall of Coats of Arms, Geography and Municipal Halls: each with refined decorative styles, from Art Deco to Renaissance grotesques.

·       Prisons in the Lions’ Tower: damp cells with still-visible scratches—the most intense and mysterious part of the castle.

·       Small Archaeological Room: a hidden treasure of artifacts telling the castle’s ancient story.

·       Loggia (Garden) of the Oranges: a space suspended between dream and reality, set among decorative elements of rare elegance.

Inside the Castle: Power, Art, and Destiny

Crossing the threshold of Este Castle is like walking through time. The frescoed halls, the private chambers of the Este family, the panoramic towers, and the Garden of the Oranges all tell stories not only of grandeur and authority, but also of the intimacy of a court that was among the most sophisticated in Europe. Artists, poets, and humanists passed through here. Within these walls, people conspired, danced, and loved.

Ghost Stories and Passionate Love Affairs

Among the most famous legends is that of Parisina Malatesta and Ugo d’Este—a forbidden love between stepmother and stepson that left a lasting mark on the castle’s memory. It is said the two lovers still wander the dungeons, where they were imprisoned and sentenced to death, and that their laments echo on the quietest nights.

Living the Este Experience Today

The castle is open to visitors almost every day (except Tuesdays), generally from 9:30 AM to 5:30 or 6:00 PM. Standard admission is about €12, with discounts for students and seniors, and free entry for children under 11. Access to the Lions’ Tower requires a small supplement of around €2.

A City Made for Slow Discovery

From your stay at B&B A Casa di Maica, located in a quiet rural area just a few kilometers from the city center—and thus from Este Castle—you can set out each morning to explore a city best experienced on foot or by bicycle, at an unhurried pace.

The Este Castle will be your compass. Every street seems to lead there, and each time you see it, it will be under a different light.

There is something deeply poetic about walking along the moat at dawn, or watching the towers mirrored in the water at sunset. The castle is not just a monument—it is a living organism that breathes with the city.

The B&B A Casa di Maica awaits to offer not only hospitality and comfort, but also authentic experiences—just as only Ferrara and its surroundings can provide.

Book your journey into the heart of history now, and prepare to immerse yourself in an adventure of mistery, beauty and elegance!

🌐 www.acasadimaica.com📞 Tel: +39 338 7477305