Ducal Palace of Modena (Palazzo Ducale di Modena)

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.