Historic sites in Ferrara

Renaissance Palaces and House Museums

Step inside the houses of Ferrara's Renaissance court. These palaces and house museums keep painted halls, courtyards and collections from the age of the Este dukes.

Diego Baglieri / cc-by-sa-4.0

A

Palazzo Schifanoia

An Este pleasure palace whose Hall of the Months is covered in 15th-century frescoes of court life, the zodiac and the seasons.

Laura Dolcetti / cc-by-sa-4.0

B

Palazzo Costabili

A palace by Biagio Rossetti that houses the National Archaeological Museum, with Greek vases and Etruscan finds from the ancient port of Spina.

Sailko / cc-by-sa-4.0

C

Casa Romei

A 15th-century merchant's house between Gothic and Renaissance, with painted rooms, wooden ceilings and a quiet courtyard.

Maria Eloisa L. Vieira / cc-by-4.0

D

Palazzo dei Diamanti

The palace of diamond-cut marble blocks, home to the city's picture gallery of Ferrarese Renaissance painting.

Marija Obradovic / cc-by-sa-3.0

E

Casa di Ludovico Ariosto

The modest house where the poet of Orlando Furioso spent his last years. A small museum with free entry.

Sailko / cc-by-sa-4.0

F

Biblioteca Ariostea

The city library in Palazzo Paradiso, a former university seat. It keeps Ariosto's tomb and his manuscripts.

Other Lists

Ferrara Unmissables Ferrara's Sacred Sites