Delizia estense della Diamantina
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CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC
La Diamantina, located in the countryside around Vigarano Mainarda, takes its name from the diamond, emblem of the Este family. This estate was purchased in 1506 by Duke Ercole I d’Este. The Este family promoted hydraulic improvement works by digging a straight channel known as the scolo cittadino (“city drain”) and encouraging new rural settlements to foster agriculture.
After being for a time the property of Lucrezia Borgia, the estate passed in 1537 to Ercole II d’Este, remaining under Este control until the mid-eighteenth century. It was then sold to Marshal Gianluca Pallavicini, who restored both the buildings and the agricultural production structures. In 1870 it became the property of Senator Silvestro Camerini, who resumed the reclamation works.
Today the Diamantina is privately owned and can be visited on the occasion of temporary events. It also houses a collection of agricultural machinery and equipment. Its value lies above all in the preservation of a rural estate which originally extended over about 1,600 hectares.
