Modena

Ducal Palace of Modena (Palazzo Ducale di Modena)

Edited by

Daniele Pascale

Houses and Palaces

Other denominations

Accademia Militare/Palazzo Ducale/Palazzina ducale

Founders

Francesco I

D'Este's People

Cesare, Ercole II, Ercole III, Francesco III, Obizzo II, Rinaldo

Artists / Humanists

Antonio Salvatori, Antonio Traeri, Antonio Vacchi, Bartolomeo Avanzini, Biagio Rossetti, Carlo Vigarani, Enrico Haffner, Francesco Stringa, Girolamo Rainaldi, Guarino Guarini, Lorenzo Loraghi, Marcantonio Franceschini

Description

The Ducal Palace, the greatest monument of Este Modena, dominates with its bulk Piazza Roma and the entire northern part of the historic centre. The building is a result of a castle erected in 1291 by Marquis Obizzo d’Este, then rebuilt by Marquis Niccolò I d’Este in 1340, it remained until 1598 a defensive structure, only a secondary residence of the Ferrara court.

When the court’s move to Modena, the ancient fortress soon proved inadequate, but it was only thanks to Francesco I that the transformation of the building into a modern palace, would bring prestige to the house and endow Modena with the essential facilities to be considered a true capital city. Apart from the Napoleonic interlude, the building remained the seat of the court until 1859, when, with the passage to the Kingdom of Italy, the complex was transformed into the Military Academy, a function it still retains today.

Useful information

Address

piazza Roma, 14-15-16-22-29

Municipality

MODENA

Province

Modena

Visitability of the place

Visits by appointment only

Themes

Laic ceremony (Triumph, ephemeral apparatuses, court transfer,...)

Website

https://www.visitmodena.it/it/scopri-modena/arte-e-cultura/palazzi-storici-e-castelli/palazzo-ducale-accademia-militare

Tourer

https://www.tourer.it/mappa?id=1764

Included in the itineraries