Delizia of Benvignante (Delizia di Benvignante)

The construction of the Delizia (Luxury villa with beautiful gardens) of Benvignante was undertaken by Borso d’Este, who dotted the Ferrara countryside with refined, although not large, villa settlements. From the outset, the building was destined for his favourite nobleman and companion Teofilo Calcagnini, to whom its donation was formalised the following year. The family retained ownership of the complex, but in 1684 began to find themselves in financial difficulty and therefore rented out the villa. In 1818, the deed of sale whereby the Marquis Francesco Calcagnini sold Benvignante to Count Luigi Gulinelli was drawn up. The new owners profoundly transformed the building, without, however, erasing its distinctive features. Indeed, Benvignante still has the characteristic layout of 15th-century residences with central entrance tower, a widespread typology not only in Ferrara (Palazzo di Diotisalvi Neroni, now Bonacossi) and in its countryside (Belriguardo and Migliaro), but also in the Bologna area, in Lombardy and elsewhere.

Today, it is composed of the main body with a rectangular plan, the best-preserved original portion, and two wings perpendicular to it; above the round terracotta arch in the centre of the tower, probably also from the 15th century, is the later coat of arms of the Gulinelli family. The building now belongs to the Municipality of Argenta.