Palazzo dei Diamanti, designed by Biagio Rossetti, 1493-1503, marble and Istrian stone, Ferrara, Italy speakers: Dr. Heather Graham and Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank
I was in Ferrara just last week for the Easter holidays, even if only for one afternoon. Kind of bummed I missed out on this particular building since I know I would’ve loved to take in its classical, elegant grandeur - but nonetheless I found the city center oozing with charm and personality: the brick faced castle, the piazzas like melting pots of architectural elements, churches and spaces from different eras all coming together in a beautifully cohesive way.. the overall vibe of the whole place was really wonderful, even if I didn’t get to enjoy it for as long as I’d have liked to. Thanks for another great video.
Visited Ferrara for a couple days two summers ago, it's a truly incredible and beautiful city with a fascinating history. I recommend it to anyone traveling near Bologna or Venice it's definitely worth it - the Castello Estense mentioned in this video is stunning and so is the cathedral and its museum.
"You can't even lean against the wall." 😂 I bet you can't! What an interesting structure! I've never seen a building quite like this one. How utterly bougie of this family, lol. I can't imagine having that kind of wealth, much less using it just to show off my family's power.. It must've been quite the statement in its day, though. I wonder if there was any method to the madness of adding the pink marble - a certain pattern that was desired or not. What's the difference between pediments and cornices? 😅 I was so glad to hear its modern day purpose. A unique and beautiful building should be used for showcasing more unique and beautiful things!
I wish those modern black pipes on the facade were not so ugly and obtrusive. They look like enclosures for cables, and since those could not have been needed in 1493, and are such an eyesore, I’d like to see them painted with a subtle color to blend in.
I love that the Duke d'Este actually planned his city's expansion. Ferrara was a free city for Jews until conquered by the Papal States in the late 1600s.
@@smarthistory-art-history Yes, I got tricked there. At 4:59 you can see a pedestrian and the door in one picture. Thank you for your videos. I wouldn't even notice those details, be it in architecture, paintings or sculptures. I am always amazed about how much there is to read in these works of art.
Wow, diamond-shaped marble! What could be better? When historians claim that a rich patron built a pyramid, castle or palace, I always think this is wrong, because the patrons didn't do any work whatsoever. The work was carried out by hard-working, creative and intelligent people like you and I. Thousands of workers died building many palaces which are now mostly empty. Much of European "nobility" was mafia-like and became rich and powerful through violence and luck.
Ferrara was hit by a massive earthquake in the seventeenth century (I think that was the century) A lot of the historic buildings in the city bear the marks of this terrible calamity and I believe some of the buildings are still slanted as a result of the earthquake that was very high on the Richter scale -all to do with subduction of the tectonic plates and the Po delta.
Some are slanted because of the 16th century earthquake (eg. the cathedral's facade tilting slightly forward), others are slanted because of the soil being mostly made of sediments (eg. the cathedral's bell tower, which was left unfinished as it began to tilt during construction). You can also see the earthquake damage in some houses whose doorframes and pillars got walled in in their tilted, damaged positions when they were repaired (it's quite striking to see).
Its fine but i like it more for a very very similar and more elaborated facade with small towers with arched windows the Palace of Infantado in Guadalajara Spain
I don’t think the family could have possible stood on that corner balcony to view the intersection. There isn’t any access to the balcony from the interior of the building.
