Villas, historical residences and theatres

Casa Romei

Giovanni Romei became administrator to the lords of Ferrara and married the princess Polissena d’Este. On the Via di San Francesco he had a house built that showed his high ranking.

Today’s visitor is immediately struck by the harmonious courtyard of honour, the result of combining medieval elements (the overhanging “baldresca” on one side) with others of the Renaissance (the arches that run along the other sides). The courtyard is dominated by a large monogram of Christ in terracotta, of very graceful design that belongs to the time in which, after Romei’s death, the house became part of the adjacent Corpus Domini Monastery. Casa Romei houses an interesting museum of painting and sculpture, with works of art that come from many places that have now disappeared in Ferrara: in the Lapidary on the ground floor there are marble and brickwork friezes, sculptures, escutcheons and tombstones while on the first floor numerous frescoes removed from former churches can be admired.