Musei Civici di Arte Antica
Comune di Ferrara

The Covered Path is the building resting on five arcades linking the Guildhall to the Estense Castle.
Probably evolution of a simple suspended wooden passage, the Covered Path became a full architectural project with Ercole I d’Este since 1471.
It was only with the Duke Alfonso I, in power between 1505 and 1534, that it became an incredible symbol of the power of the Estensi.

On the floor above the corridor accessible through the Guildhall, the Duke organised his Studioli, hanging above the heart of the city and adorned by artworks realised expressly for him by the greatest artists of the time.
These works are now held in the some amongst the most important museums of the world, such as the Ermitage of Saint Petersburg, the Prado of Madrid, the Louvre of Paris.
Alfonso called to decorate the walls of his Studioli, known as the ‘alabaster Studioli' artists like Bellini, Titian, Raphael, Dosso Dossi and Antonio Lombardo.

Of the same period is also the marble balcony that enobles the façade on Savonarola Square, an element adding an elegant touch to a building which has been transformed several times over centuries.

After the restoration of the entire wing, the historical halls are now inserted in the Estense Castle museum tour.


Access to the Covered Path:
Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Access to the Estense Castle through the Covered Path
Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.


Image credits:

The Covered Path, interior
photo: Francesco Scafuri