The Castello Estense – Visit and Guided Tour
The Castle
The Este Castle in Ferrara has been the Palace of Power ever since. Built in 1385 on a project by the military engineer Bartolino da Novara on behalf of the Este family, today this Palace hosts the Government of Ferrara Province.
The Castle is still surrounded by a moat with water of the river Po.
Today, the Castle no longer features the beautiful artwork by masters as Giovanni Bellini, Tiziano, and many more, but still shows nice paintings on its inner walls of the many large representative rooms. The master pieces suffered an important dispersion at the end of the 16th century, and are now to be admired at international public and private museums and art collections.
Itinerary
The visit takes place on three levels of the Castle: on the Ground Floor, on the Lower Ground Floor, and on the Main Floor. The rooms still tell of the architectural structure and the usage made of them in the past.
The itinerary includes the dungeons, memory of grim facts at the time of the Este domination and narrated in works by F. Lope de Vega (1562-1635), J. W. v. Goethe (1749-1832), G. G. Byron (1788-1824), G. D’Annunzio (1863-1938), G. Donizetti (1797-1848), G. de Chirico (1888-1978), and many more.
On the Main Floor the visit follows with a stop at the Loggia degli Aranci and its roof garden, then at the Sala dell’Aurora, the Saletta dei Giochi, and the Sala dei Giochi in which the paintings on the ceilings are by the 16th c. painter Sebastiano Filippi. Before leaving the Castle a stop at the coffee shop is higly recommended, where a wooden veranda overlooks the monumental corso Ercole I d’Este.
The second part of the museum with the rooms of “Governo”, “Devoluzione”, “Paesaggi”, “Geografie”, and the “Camerini del Principe” host art exhibition.
Through the Salone degli Stemmi the exhibition visiters leave the Castle, walking down the monumental stairs back to the courtyard of the Castle.
Guided tours – Rates 2023
Duration: 1.5 hrs
Groups up to 4 people: €120
Larger groups: Ask for a quotation.
Entrance fee not included.
Guided tours – Payment
– Cash
– Credit card
– Bank transfer
Openings 2023
10am – 6pm (Museum: last access 4:45. Museum & Tower: Last access 4:15pm)
Closed: Tuesday, 25 December
Special openings 2022
6 December (Museum: last access 5:45pm. Museum & Tower: Last access 5:15pm)
Entrance fee 2023
Full: €12* /10€
0-6 anni: Free
7-12 anni: €1
Up to 18 years and over 65 years, groups (min 15 people): €10* /8€
Schools: €5
More gratuities and reductions: Please, contact the Ticket Office during the opening times of the Castle (Tel +39 0532 419180)
Tower (122 steps): €2
*Bonus 1€ Amici del Castello Estense: A additional price reduction of €1 is allowed on visitors with the tour guideElisabetta Concetta Gulino.
Castle – Reservations
Groups are recommended to book in advance and to make a time reservation. The reservation is made by the guide, and is free of charge.
Coaches
The closest coach parking is the “Ex-MOF” (access through via Darsena / corso Isonzo. Free)
Passengers alight at viale Cavour, internal street (access through viale Cavour / via Spadari – Palazzo delle Poste, follow the directions for “Touring Hotel”. Stop just after via della Luna.
Ferrara City map
Click here, to reach the webpage with the city map of Ferrara.
Castle visit and guided tours in Ferrara, Comacchio, Cento, Po Delta, and Pomposa
Please, contact me, to know more about: Tel +39 0532 91219 – Mob +39 339 8743857 or fill in the form
