The so-called Giulio d’Este palace was built at the end of the 16th century.
According to tradition, it was built directly by Duke Ercole I for his illegitimate son Giulio, born of his relationship with Isabella Arduini but raised at court as a scion in his own right.
Built when Giulio was very young, it was inhabited by him only the very first years until 1506 and then from 1559 onward. The history of the palace is inextricably linked to that of Giulio, a rival in love of his half-brother, Cardinal Ippolito, against whom he hatched a failed conspiracy and by whom, in revenge, he was later badly wounded and imprisoned for 53 years in the dungeons of the Castle.
Since 1932 the palace has been owned by the Province of Ferrara, which, with very recent restoration work, has restored continuity and coherence to the spaces and decorations.
The palace is the seat of the Prefecture.
