Palazzo Schifanoia Museum

Address: Via Scandiana, 23, 44121 Ferrara (FE), Italy

Website: https://musei.comune.fe.it/it/percorsi/palazzo-schifanoia

Palazzo Schifanoia is a Renaissance palace in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, built for the Este family and famous for its fifteenth-century decorative program. The palace’s name refers to its original role as a pleasure residence outside the formal city core.

The principal attraction is the Sala dei Mesi (Hall of the Months), decorated with a zodiacal and seasonal fresco cycle executed c. 1469-1470 by artists including Francesco del Cossa and Cosmè Tura for the Este court. Visitors typically tour the frescoed hall and adjacent rooms that display civic art collections.

The palazzo was created and altered across the 14th and 15th centuries for the Dukes of Ferrara and later adapted to municipal and museum uses. Its decoration reflects the Este court’s interest in astrology, allegory and courtly display during the Ferrara Renaissance.

Palazzo Schifanoia stands within Ferrara’s historic centre; it is a short walk from the city cathedral and other Este palaces, set in the flat Po plain that surrounds Ferrara.

• Main highlight: The palace is in Ferrara’s historic centre and is best known for the fifteenth-century fresco cycle in the Hall of the Months, which is usually the museum’s main draw.

What to See#

• Sala dei Mesi: The Sala dei Mesi (Hall of the Months) contains a cycle of Renaissance frescoes painted around 1469-1470 for the Este court, including work by Francesco del Cossa and Cosmè Tura.

Palazzo Schifanoia sits in Ferrara’s historic centre. From Stazione di Ferrara (the main railway station) it is an easy 10-15 minute walk (roughly 1 km) into the centro storico; follow Viale Cavour/Corso Martiri della Libertà toward Corso Ercole I d’Este. By car Ferrara is reached from Bologna in about 40-60 minutes (around 50 km) via the A13 motorway; parking is available near the city centre.

• Head there first thing when the site opens to see the Sala dei Mesi frescoes (Francesco del Cossa and workshop) with far fewer visitors and better light for study.
• Buy tickets at the Ferrara civic museums' ticket office or check their website before you go-Palazzo Schifanoia is part of the town's municipal museum network and a combined ticket can save queuing time.
• Many visitors linger only in the Hall of Months; make time to see the smaller adjoining rooms and the palace courtyard, which contain fragments and context that deepen understanding of the main cycle.