Villa Zenzalino

It is not known whether the current Villa Zenzalino occupies the site of the building that was, for a few decades of the 15th century, owned by the Este family.

There is no evidence for the presence of a villa before the investiture, by Nicolò III d’Este, of the county of Zenzalino to Bartolomeo Pendaglia, “the richest man in Ferrara”, which took place in 1434. Pendaglia soon undertook construction works for his residence, as at the time of his death in 1462, he recalls his ancient “highly ornate villa of Zenzalino”. In 1445, the carpenters were paid for their work. Bartolomeo was, after all, among the first Renaissance patrons to realise the importance of his own image in the rise of society and the role played by architecture in this context. In December 1448, however, Pendaglia ceded the building to Borso d’Este to pay part of the lucrative contract he had been granted for the gabella grossa (the tax on goods crossing state borders). 

Later, the Marquis Borso donated the villa to his favourite adviser Pellegrino Pasini. In 1475, Ercole invested the county in the Trotti family, who remained the owners for the following centuries. It seems that following the donation, the family proceeded with a renovation. The present, austere villa is the result of a radical reconstruction undertaken by the Trotti family, who were still the owners in 1810.