Palazzani Marfisa d’Este, Renaissance palace and art museum on Corso Giovecca, Ferrara, Italy
Palazzani Marfisa d'Este is a Renaissance palace on Corso Giovecca with a long brick facade and rectangular windows. Inside are rooms decorated with mythological ceiling frescoes, grotesque ornaments, and period furnishings arranged throughout the spaces.
Francesco d'Este began construction of the palace in 1559 as his residence. After his death, his daughter Marfisa inherited the estate and lived there until 1608.
The palace is named after Marfisa d'Este, a member of the ducal family who made her home here and shaped its character. The rooms display mythological frescoes on the ceilings that still reflect Renaissance artistic taste today.
The palace stands at Corso Giovecca 170, east of Ferrara's centre. The museum entrance is on the ground floor, and the remaining garden is reached through the former loggia. The garden is much smaller than the original grounds, part of which was occupied by the Tennis Club Marfisa by 1938.
Local tradition tells of Marfisa's ghost reportedly seen taking nighttime rides through Ferrara's streets. These stories add a layer of mystery to the palace's past.
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