PALAZZO DEI DIAMANTI E PINACOTECA NAZIONALE

This palace is one of the most famous of the Italian Renaissance architecture. A masterpiece by Biagio Rossetti, it was built from 1493 onwards for Sigismondo d'Este, brother of Duke Hercules I. It was so named because of the 8,500 marble bosses carved in diamond points that adorn its façade. Look at them carefully: they are not all inclined in the same way: in the lower part, the points are slightly tilted downwards; they are horizontal in the middle of the façade, and inclined upwards in the upper part, the aim being to play with contrasts of light. The palace had to be restored after extensive destruction during the Second World War. The first floor houses the National Gallery, which has a very rich collection of paintings from the 13th to 18th centuries. Amongst others, there are works by the Ferrarese school (Cosmè Tura, Ercole de' Roberti), Mantegna, Gentile da Fabriano, El Greco. In the Hall of Honour there is a vast cycle of frescoes detached from the Church of San Bartolo, in the Byzantine style of the 13th century, as well as a fresco by the Ferrarese Benvenuto Tisi, known as "il Garofalo", a disciple of Raphael: the Old and New Testament. It carries an underlying message: the triumph of Christianity over Judaism. The ground floor of the palace hosts some very interesting art exhibitions; programme on the palace website.