Palazzina Marfisa d'Este

About the museum

The Palazzina Marfisa was built between 1556 and 1560 at the wish of Francesco d’Este and, in the documents of the time, is referred to as “fabrica della Zoeca”; the works were directed by the painter Camillo Filippi. It stands along the axis of the Giovecca and was part of a complex of palaces and gardens in late Renaissance Ferrara, which also included the nearby Palazzo Bonacossi and Palazzo Schifanoia.

After Francesco’s death in 1578 the palazzina passed to his daughter Marfisa, who made it a lively intellectual centre frequented by artists, poets and musicians. With her death in 1608 a long period of decline began: the building was divided up and given over to craft and industrial uses that damaged its structures and interiors.

In 1861 the Comune di Ferrara bought it. The restoration, begun in the early 20th century with the association Ferrariae Decus and local artists, was completed in 1937–1938 with the work of the engineer Carlo Savonuzzi and the display designed by Nino Barbantini, who recreated, with period furnishings and objects, a residence evoking Marfisa’s time. After a long restoration, the museum now offers a new display across eight rooms, designed with accessibility in mind, with paintings, antique furniture, coins, ceramics and frescoed rooms.

Highlights

• Eight rooms with frescoes and period furnishings
• Portrait of a noblewoman (Marfisa d’Este) by Mario Capuzzo, 1938
• Portrait of Francesco d’Este
• Casket with certosina inlay decoration
• Tactile route and multisensory panels
• Free Museum Mix app with additional content

Permanent exhibition

• Percorso museale della Palazzina Marfisa d'Este – Eight rooms with paintings, antique furnishings, coins, ceramics and frescoed interiors that tell the story of the palazzina and its personalities.

Founded

1550

Operated by

Comune di Ferrara

Visitors per year

approx. 18,743

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for school groups from primary and secondary schools with their teachers, holders of the MyFe Card, tour guides and journalists with a press card, visitors on their birthday (or on the first opening day after it), and first-year students enrolled in University of Ferrara courses who hold the relevant entry qualification. Tickets are sold only at the museum ticket office; the MyFe tourist card covers museums and monuments in the city.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is listed as fully accessible: entrance by ramp, single-leaf door, all areas of the route accessible and accessible toilets before the ticket office; staff always present to assist. Tactile route with five reproductions of objects with Braille or high-contrast texts, two multisensory panels, a video guide in Italian Sign Language (LIS) with subtitles in the Museum Mix app, and subtitled room videos in Italian and English. Rest areas along the route.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

By car from the A13 Bologna–Padova motorway, take the Ferrara Sud or Ferrara Nord exit, then head towards the centre and Corso Giovecca.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Lockers

Bookshop; bags and backpacks can be left in the lockers at the ticket office.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit