Este Castle of Mesola
Timetable
OPENING DAYS:
From January 1 to March 15, open Tuesday to Sunday.
From March 15 to June 15, open every day.
From June 15 to September 15, open Tuesday to Sunday.
From September 15 to November 15, open every day.
From November 15 to March 15, open Tuesday to Sunday.
OPENING HOURS:
From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Prices
Ticket includes admission to the Museum of the Forest and the Mesola Deer.
Full price €5.00.
Reduced price €3.00 (over 65s, under 18s, groups of at least 15 people).
Free for children under 6.
Dogs allowed.
Guided tours by reservation.
On weekends and public holidays at 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., guided tours for individuals are available by reservation.
Four imposing crenellated towers, mighty walls, and large windows make the castle a structure halfway between a fortress and a luxury residence or Delizia, once protected by nine miles of walls and surrounded by a hunting forest.
The construction of the impressive architectural complex of Mesola Castle began in 1578 at the behest of Duke Alfonso II, the last descendant of the Este dynasty. He wanted to leave an important mark on the Ferrara area by building a court residence so opulent that it could compete in size and magnificence with the older Castle of Ferrara, the absolute symbol of Este rule. Four imposing crenellated towers, mighty walls, and large windows make the castle a structure halfway between a fortress and a luxury residence or Delizia, protected in the 16th century by nine miles of walls and surrounded by a hunting forest.
According to some historians, this future Renaissance city was intended to counter Venice's power over the Adriatic: an ambitious project that required time and heirs that Alfonso II was unable to provide. In 1598, the Papal States regained possession of the Duchy of Ferrara and, consequently, Mesola.
The castle houses the:
The Wood and Deer Museum of Mesola
The first room welcomes visitors with the theme of the relationship between the Delizia Estense and the surrounding area, such as the Sacca and the harbor of Goro, the long tree-lined avenue, and the walls surrounding the Delizia. Visitors then discover (room 2) a collection of copies of sheets from the herbarium of Filippo De Pisis, the Ferrara painter who, at the beginning of the 20th century, collected, classified and preserved plants from the Mesola Forest. The third room explores the theme of flora and fauna throughout the four seasons in the Gran Bosco della Mesola, where the absolute protagonist is the holm oak, a type of oak characteristic of the Mediterranean maquis; in addition to this elegant evergreen, on the ancient dunes it is possible to find manna ash, juniper and phillyrea, but also English oak, ash, white poplar, elm and hornbeam, in whose hollow trunks woodpeckers and hoopoes nest, while the splendid bee-eaters and kingfishers dig their nests in the sandy banks. The trail then offers a glimpse of the atmosphere that can be experienced in the Parco delle Duchesse, a circular clearing of about 2 hectares where no tall trees grow, but there is a large meadow of mosses and lichens. Legend has it that this meadow was frequented by the Este family during their leisure time at the estate, hence its name (room 4). One section is entirely dedicated to the Mesola deer, an animal with unique genetic traits, physical appearance and behaviour. The exhibition summarises its history, documenting its traces in the history and culture of the Ferrara area, in Christian worship, in art and in the Renaissance tradition of the Este Court of Ferrara (rooms 5, 6 and 7).
The Wood and Deer Museum of Mesola has been awarded the status of QUALITY MUSEUM by the Institute for Cultural Heritage of Emilia-Romagna.
