Ferrara - Castello Estense

Ferrara appears first in a document of the Lombard king Desiderius of 753 when he captured the town from the Exarchate of Ravenna. Later the Franks, after routing the Lombards, presented Ferrara to the Papacy in 754. In 988 Ferrara was ceded by the Church to the House of Canossa, but at the death of Matilda of Tuscany in 1115, it became a free commune. During the 12th century, the history of the town was marked by the wrestling for power between the Guelph Adelardi and the Ghibelline Salinguerra families. The Ghibellines won and in 1264 Obizzo II d'Este was proclaimed lifelong ruler of Ferrara. His rule marked the end of the communal period in Ferrara and the beginning of the Este rule, which lasted until 1598.

The Castello Estense is a moated castle in the center of Ferrara.

In 1385 there was a revolt in Ferrara because of the oppressive tax burdens, which ended with the murder of the finance minister Tommaso da Tortona. This incident prompted the Marquis Niccolò II d'Este to have a defensive structure built for himself and his family. Thus was born the Castello Estense (aka "Castello di San Michele") a fortress against the rebellious people.

Niccolò II commissioned the architect Bartolino da Novara with the project. The centuries passed and the danger of revolts diminished. In the course of time the fort was developed into a residence of the ducal court. It was enlarged and embellished inside and out.

After the Este family moved their ancestral seat to Modena at the end of the 16th century, the Castello lost importance. After the unification of Italy, it was bought by the province. During WWII it was damaged by Allied aerial bombing, thus it was partially reconstructed in 1946. Today it is the seat of the provincial administration. During the severe earthquake in Emilia-Romagna in May 2012, the building suffered severe destruction.