Ariostea Square (Piazza Ariostea)

The current name dates back to 1833, when the municipality decided to honour the third centenary of the death of Ludovico Ariosto by erecting a statue of the poet on a pre-existing column, made by Francesco and Mansueto Vidoni based on a design by Francesco Saraceni; the imposing effigy deteriorated after a few decades, so much so that it was replaced with the model still visible today, restored and perfected in 1881 by the Ferrarese sculptor Ambrogio Zuffi. In the early 1930s, at the instigation of Ferrarese Italo Balbo (a prominent figure in the Mussolini government), earthworks were begun to lower the road surface to the shape of a stadium, with large grass tiers, suitable for hosting competitive events with a powerful propaganda effect, including the Palio horse races, very popular in Ferrara in the 15th century.

The political, urban and ideological pre-eminence of this square as a place of representation destined to host (in addition to the new city market) spectacles of ducal magnificence and one of the most colossal equestrian monuments of Renaissance Italy, erected in honour of the prince who promoted the great urban expansion of the city: the famous Addizione Erculea or “Terra Nova”.