Renaissance Art Archeology History
and Regional Cuisine
Belriguardo Castle gets its name from a fifteenth century poet, so
impressed with its beauty, that he exclaimed that he planned on bel
riguardare, keep looking at it and admiring it!
It was built in 1435. At that time it had some of the characteristics
of a castle - tower, battlements, drawbridge and a moat. However, all these
elements had more of a decorative and less of a defensive function: in front of
the tower there is a porch, behind the battlements there were no walk ways for
the soldiers, along with many fixed bridges.
In practice, Belriguardo was a medieval castle turned
into a Renaissance villa designed along the lines of a Greek one: the first
courtyard had porticoes on three sides, with the second on all four sides. It
was built as the summer residence of the Este family, rulers of nearby Ferrara
from the 13th century until 1598. In fact, Belriguardo can be
considered the first summer residence of a European ruling family; a precursor
of Versailles for the French monarchy, Venaria for the Savoy dynasty, the
Quirinale and Castel Gandolfo for the popes, the Tsars’ palaces and the Caserta
royal palace for the Bourbon kings of Naples.
With as many as 360 frescoed halls, on one occasion Belriguardo
hosted simultaneously the courts of Ferrara, Bologna, Milan and Mantua; at
least two thousand people could eat and sleep at court and its stables could
hold 800 horses. The Este family entertained its guests with naval battles in
the fishpond.
Inside this UNESCO protected property, one can admire
the Sala della Vigna (1536), built by Duke Ercole II, son of Lucrezia Borgia,
as well as many 16th century frescoes by the Dossi brothers, Benvenuto
Tisi and Girolamo da Carpi. The floor is one of the few orginals from this
period.
The Civic Museum of Belriguardo is based in the castle
and its archeological section includes the original wooden beams, known as
composite beams, each in turn formed by seven smaller ones interlocked without
the use of nails. Their design originates from a Leonardo Da Vinci drawing.
The Archaeological section contains finds from the Etruscan (IV-III century
BC), Roman (I-III century AD) and Byzantine (VI-VII century AD) periods. Some of the Roman period items are considered
by researchers of great interest and a few are even unique in the world.
Belriguardo Castle is an excellent starting point for
a visit to Ferrara and surrounding areas, one of the cradles of the Italian
Renaissance. Nearby, you can taste the regional cuisine, considered the best in
Italy.
Connect with Historia and Tema
for Cultural Itineraries, Culinary and Arts Programs
in Ferrara
Local Knowledge – Global Reach
tema@arezza.net |skype arezza1 | Travel Destination Italy
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