Mauriziano’s Palace

The 16th-century single-arched terracotta triumphal arch on the Via Emilia introduces to the avenue, lined with poplars, that leads up to the monumental complex of the Mauriziano.
The arch was erected, according to tradition, by Orazio Malaguzzi, who died in 1583 and to whom the restoration and enrichment of the entire complex is attributed.
Despite significant renovations in the 17th and 18th centuries, the new Palazzo del Mauriziano (formerly known as the ‘Casino dell’Ariosto’) retains the 16th-century volumetric layout that links it to the culture of the Renaissance villa. In fact, it is characterised by a quadrangular base plan with a central passing hall on which the symmetry axis of the building is based, around which the lateral rooms are articulated.
To the east, a raised floor still conserves three rooms with ribbed vaults and hanging capitals, according to stylistic modules of Ferrara matrix, experimented in the city between the 15th and 16th centuries.
The pictorial decoration of these rooms, datable after 1567, is influenced by Nicolò dell’Abate. The central room, known as the Camerino dei Poeti (Poets’ Room), depicts ancient and modern painters seated on the tops of an ideal Parnassus, arranged at various heights according to their fame, and with an indication of their names (often erased or mispronounced due to later reworking). The lunettes of the vault narrate the novella of Griselda, taken from the Decameron. The nearby room, known as the Camerino of Ariosto, according to tradition as the poet’s study, has a fireplace bearing the Malaguzzi coat of arms and the date 1432. The pictorial decoration alludes to the vedutistic motif of the villa and its relationship with the surrounding garden, in the cross-reference between interior and exterior space that will remain a constant genre in the tradition of decorative painting. The paintings in the last small room, dedicated to Orazio Coclite in open homage to Orazio Malaguzzi, depict in three panels the battle between Horatii and Curiazi, Orazio Coclite at the bridge, the magistrate driving the nail into the temple of Jupiter. The other walls are decorated with landscapes and scenes of Roman ruins.
The fresco paintings in the central hall and the great hall on the left refer to the renovations carried out by Prospero Malaguzzi after 1742. The work of a mediocre artist, they depict salient events of the Malaguzzi family.
The monumental complex of the Mauriziano, summer residence of Ludovico Ariosto, has undergone major restoration and redevelopment work, carried out as part of the Ducato Estense national project. In this undiscovered place have been completed extraordinary maintenance work in the Park, scientific and conservative restoration work on the monumental arch and restoration  of the internal decorative features.
The three decorated rooms have ribbed vaults with hanging capitals (according to stylistic modules of the Ferrara matrix dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries) and are characterised by their small size and intimate atmosphere. These rooms constitute one of the rare examples of Renaissance architecture preserved in the city, due precisely to the poet’s former presence, and possess not only historical-artistic value due to the quality of the decorated spaces attributed to the School of the Renaissance master Niccolò dell’Abate, but also literary and testimonial value of the prestige of Ludovico Ariosto and the Malaguzzi family. The pictorial decoration, commissioned by Orazio Malaguzzi and dating back to 1567-1568, praises the family’s splendour and the distinguished members who, thanks to their political and diplomatic skills as well as their cultural refinement and profound love of letters, made their mark on history.
A narrow staircase cut into the wall cavity leads to the first room known as the Camerino dei Poeti, dedicated to Ariosto. In the eight panels adorning the walls, ancient and modern painters and poets are depicted lying on the slopes of Parnasi surmounted by the symbols of the various literary genres. Among the characters depicted, the figure of Ariosto returns several times, as well as literary friends and relatives of Orazio Malaguzzi. The lunettes above illustrate the novella of Griselda and Gualtieri, Marquis of Saluzzo, the last novella of the Tenth day of Boccaccio’s Decameron, extolling the figure of woman and her feminine attributes.
The second room, known as the Camerino dell’Ariosto, identified by history as the poet’s study, has a series of panels on the walls depicting landscape views that refer to the park in front of the Villa and its surroundings, which were the Malaguzzi family’s possessions. The lunettes illustrate the novella by Giletta di Narbona and Beltramo di Rossiglione, a novella once again dedicated to female love and the importance of offspring, which unfortunately Orazio Malaguzzi would never have.
The last room, called the Camerino of the Horatii (Horatii’s Room), is entirely dedicated to the figure of Horace and his brother Flaminius. Three large panels on the walls depict the fight between Horatii and Curiazi, Horatius Coclite barring the Etruscans of Porsenna access to the Sublicio Bridge, the magistrate driving the nail into the temple of Jupiter. Two panels depict Roman ruins and vestiges that restore a cultural sophistication and love for the ancient world. In the lunettes, the heartfelt illustration of the short life of his brother Flaminio Malaguzzi, an irreproachable person devoted to classical literature, who died prematurely at the age of fifteen.
The three Camerini stand in contrast to the rest of the building, which was renovated in the 18th century, and maintain a raised level with respect to the main floor of the Villa, which is developed on a quadrangular base plan with a central passing hall on which the axis of symmetry of the building is based, around which the lateral rooms are articulated. Despite significant renovations in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Villa maintains its 16th-century volumetric layout, typical of the Emilian Renaissance villa.