The mansion was built around 1540 for the “delizia” of the Montagna di San Giorgio in which the Este family, lovers of leisure, spent part of their free time.
The delizia, largely destroyed in the 17th century, featured a large garden with a labyrinth and a fishpond, and was overlooked by the “Montagna” on which grew a grove with many animals, including exotic ones.
The square-plan mansion is arranged around the central courtyard and has obvious references to Roman domus.
In 1799 Napoleon’s troops used the building as a military garrison, but in the late 19th century the building was adapted to house a café.
In the early 1900s the building became an elementary school until ’44, when it housed people displaced by the war. In 1975, the municipality began rehabilitation of the 16th-century building, and now the architectural complex is home to public offices. 
Viale Alfonso I D’Este, 17 44123 Ferrara FE
