Castello Estense

We crossed the moat by walking over the 600 year old drawbridge. In the courtyard we paid to enter the castle & climb 122 steps up the tower. We started at a model of the castle & moved through the kitchen, saw bibles, 4 towers, prisons, rooms for court games & entertainment. The ornate ceiling ls were very impressive passing through the Governor & Pope's rooms. There were archaeological remnants from the 1400's all around us. We saw Borso d'Este or Duke of Ferrara's bible.

There was a museum with art of Adelphi Ricardo Mantovani done in the 20th century that appeared to be well done but we moved through it.

We spent :90 minutes here admiring palazzos, frescoes, archaeological sites, ceilings, tiles... We passed a few brides taking photographs here.

The Castello Estense ('Este castle') or castello di San Michele ('St. Michael's castle') is a moated medieval castle in the center of Ferrara, northern Italy. It consists of a large block with four corner towers. Beautiful to visto on morning and night as well.

Well worth visiting. A great way to learn about history of Ferrara and former ruling family.
We had a relaxing visit as it was not crowded. We took our time reading the Italian/English signage.

€7 admission.

The most beautiful, passionate and pristine castle I have ever visited. This landmark is the pearl of Ferrara, radiating the heritage and history of generations. Visiting Castello Estense, Museo Archeologico, Le Mura, the many duomos and countless other spots throughout the town has made my move to Ferrara so certain. If you ever visit, there's a very good chance you may find me run into me here...it's a daily thing for me A 'must see'.

In the centre of Ferrara and surrounded by a moat is this beautiful red brick fortress which belonged to the Este family. Inside the castle are 15th century frescoes well worth seeing. The roof gardens are also open to visitors. You can also climb the Torre dei Leoni to see the lovely views over the town, or descend to the dungeons. The signs are also in English which is very useful if you don't speak Italian.