Palazzo Comunale
Residence of the Este family until the 16th century.
The Municipal Palace (former Ducal Palace) was built from 1243 and was the residence of the Este family until the 16th century, when the court moved to the Estense castle.
Opposite the façade of the cathedral is the Vault of the Horse, the former entrance to the Palace of the Court, on whose sides are the statues of the Marquis Niccolò III on horseback, and of Duke Borso d'Este on the throne.
Crossing the vault leads to the old Ducal Courtyard (today Piazza Municipale), where the marble windows of the Este rooms overlook.
An honorary staircase from 1481 serves as access to the current municipal buildings, inside which you can visit the Cabinet of the Duchesses, a small room designed for Eleonora and Lucrezia de Este, decorated in the second half of the 16th century, and the Sala dell 'Arengo, frescoed between 1934 and 1936 by Achille Funi.
