The moat
Towers mirrored.
Vanni Lazzari — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanni Lazzari — CC BY-SA 4.0 · NikyLovesMonuments — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lungoleno — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lisa1963 — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Castello Estense, or Castle of St Michael, is a moated medieval castle in the centre of Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, less than a kilometre from the city centre in a straight line. Marquis Niccolò II d'Este built it after a popular revolt in 1385, as a fortress to protect the ruling family. It is a massive block with four corner towers, and over time it changed from a military stronghold into a palace of the Este family, who made Ferrara a centre of the Renaissance. Red-brick walls rise from the green water of the moat, the towers are topped by white stone battlements and corbels, drawbridges cross the moat to the gates, and the towers are mirrored in the water. You can go inside to see its halls and inner courtyard. The castle sits in the heart of the old town, a World Heritage Site, so it pairs easily with the cathedral and nearby streets.
Towers mirrored.
Four corner towers.
To the gates.
Central Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Yes, it is paid.
About an hour.