Directly in front of you, Palazzo Bevilacqua Costabili stands out with its tall, elegant white facade adorned with sculpted busts, ornate balconies, and decorative military trophies-just look for the building brimming with statues and round windows right on Via Voltapaletto.
Now, imagine standing here in the early 1400s, when the Bevilacqua family arrived from Verona, perhaps dragging more than a few suitcases-and a truckload of ambition-into Ferrara thanks to the grand wedding between Cristin Francesco Bevilacqua and Lucia Ariosti. Their new palace, built in 1430, became the ultimate “just married” gift, and little did they know, the building would play host to centuries of drama, reinvention, and the occasional burst of family pride.
Over the years, the palace’s look evolved almost as much as European fashion. In 1602, a rather style-conscious Cardinal Bonifacio Bevilacqua thought the facade could use a little “oomph,” so he ordered a makeover-military trophies included! If you spot those helmets and shields above, it's his idea of curb appeal. Not to be outdone, Ercole Bevilacqua, fresh from being named top judge, thought the entrance staircase needed to be more grand. In 1710, the palace got its sweeping staircase and a jazzed-up courtyard-guests probably needed a map just to find the right room.
Let’s move to the 1800s, where things got really juicy. Picture the genteel Marquis Giovan Battista Costabili Containi, passionately hoarding ancient manuscripts, rare books, and a painting collection so dazzling, collectors from all over Europe drooled over it. With ceilings redone and treasure-filled rooms everywhere, this palace was the envy of many. But fortune can turn- after the marquis’ death, inheritance squabbles and debts mounted. His heirs made a heartbreaking decision: sell off the most precious artifacts, each sale perhaps echoing with a sigh from a disappointed ancestor.
By the 1900s, Palazzo Bevilacqua Costabili was a sort of architectural chameleon. It became, at various times, a boarding house for women, a psychiatric clinic (run by Professor Boschi, who must have found the palace large enough for big ideas), and was even eyed as the future site of a supermarket or cinema. If you’re looking for a plot twist, it doesn’t get better than that-a Renaissance jewel almost becoming a place to buy snacks!
Salvation came in 1988 when the city stepped in, and by 2006, this palace found new life as a hub for the University of Ferrara’s Department of Economics and Management. Now, every day, economics students rush through halls where Roman emperors stare down from round niches and plastic golden Latin maxims glisten above. Inside, if you peek past the main entrance, you’ll find a lobby straight out of a Baroque dream-with columns, soaring arches, and ceilings crowded by flowers and fruit painted more than 300 years ago.
There’s even a mythological ceiling upstairs where Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus are caught mid-drama, watched over by Minerva and Victory. If only the ancient gods knew that today, their celestial squabbles are overheard by students discussing supply and demand.
So as you stand here, let your imagination wander. This building has worn many hats-family palace, treasure trove, clinic, almost-supermarket, and finally, a living, breathing part of Ferrara’s student life. Not bad for a place built on a wedding and a dream, right?
