Bentivoglio Palace of Ferrara (Palazzo Bentivoglio of Ferrara)

Palazzo Bentivoglio is one of the most majestic buildings to have been built in Ferrara in the late 16th century and is the monumental expression of the regal ambitions of the lieutenant of Duke Alfonso II d’Este, Cornelio Bentivoglio, descendant of the family that ruled Bologna in the second half of the 15th century, until his expulsion from the city at the behest of Pope Julius II, which was followed by asylum with the Este family. Today’s palace, with a regular structure that develops around a rectangular courtyard with portico arches only in the area behind the main entrance, is all that remains of a much larger and only partially realised project, probably aimed at recalling the ancestral domus magna of the Bentivoglio family in Bologna, which was destroyed by a popular uprising in 1507. The spectacular façade on via Garibaldi, with the solemn rustic portal surmounted by the Bentivoglio coat of arms flanked by allegorical figures, grandiose antique trophies and plastic decorations alternating with large double windows, scrolls and zoomorphic decorations, features one of the most sumptuous decorations in the city, which stands out from the local tradition both in the use of materials and in the overall design, probably inspired by Roman examples, including Palazzo Spada.