Castello Estense della Mesola, Renaissance castle in Mesola, Italy

Castello Estense della Mesola is a Renaissance castle in the small town of Mesola, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has a square plan with four corner towers topped with battlements and is enclosed by a wall that surrounds a large interior courtyard.

Alfonso II d'Este commissioned the castle, built between 1578 and 1583 by Giovan Battista Aleotti to a design by Marc'Antonio Pasi, known as Il Montagnana, as a base for hunts in the adjoining walled park. It stayed in Este hands until 1771, then passed through several owners before coming under the Ente Delta Padano in 1952; it now belongs to the Province of Ferrara.

The castle holds a museum dedicated to the nearby forest and its deer, one of the last wild red deer populations in the Po plain. The exhibits show how closely the lives of people in this area have always been tied to the surrounding woodland.

The castle is open Tuesday through Sunday, and it is worth booking a guided tour in advance if you want a closer look at the interior. Opening conditions can change by season, so checking ahead of your visit is a good idea.

The castle faced the natural harbour of the Abate, and the Venetians feared that a new port city was being founded here. The harbour no longer exists; the castle's walls once ran for 12 miles around the estate. The Museo del bosco e del cervo della Mesola, on the second floor, is dedicated to the Bosco di Mesola and its deer.