Delizia di Belriguardo
Delizia di Belriguardo (English: Delight of Belriguardo) was an estate owned by Alfonso d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara, during the Renaissance period. It was located in the Italian region of Romagna.[1]
In 1506 the Duke's wife, Lucrezia Borgia, discovered the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze had broken into the estate, evading guards on high alert. Lucrezia was able to summon assistance and the Assassin escaped with only a single painting, The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci.[1]
Database Entry
Built in 1435 by Niccolò III d'Este as a summer home, Belriguardo was continuously added to until it became one of the most celebrated palaces in Italy. It features stabling for five hundred horses, secret passages, stately corridors, marble loggias, box-lined gardens and a chapel painted by Cosimo Tura. And if that isn't enough to spark your interest, it contained a succession of vast frescoed halls, leading to the Sala di Psiche with its renowned series of murals detailing the Roman myths. To quote an awed visitor: "Seeing this beautiful palace with its glazed and iron-grilled windows, I should think that a circuit of the place would be more than a mile.
Of course, all good things must come to an end, while all bad things, like aging[sic] pop divas and 70s style, are seemingly never-ending. In 1598, the Este family left, and Belriguardo became a stable, with horses living in the frescoed rooms.
Today, little remains of the place.[1]
Trivia
- The only banners within the palazzo, and the only coat of arms worn by the guards, are those of the Borgia: even though the estate was not owned by the Borgia, and by this time had long been disgraced.[1]