Monument, Ferrara
Porta degli Angeli opened at the end of what is now called corso Ercole I d'Este, one of the main arteries of the Herculean Addition of Ferrara.
The addition was an enlargement of the city commissioned by Ercole I. The intention was to recreate his ideal of the perfect city, with the collaboration of the most important architects in those days, but the project was too optimistic and never came to an end, leaving empty most of the remaining imagined addition.
Porta degli Angeli (Angel’s gate) was part of the defensive walls of Ferrara, a perfectly well preserved heritage. Thanks to the last restorations, the walls have been transformed in a pleasant promenade used daily by the Ferrarese citizens that love being in open air and practice sport.
The gate, as all towers, had a defensive function. Part of the round walls surrounding the city it was a sighting tower with a strongly reinforced structure. Its different rooms and closed areas offered a place for the guardian’s rest and every-day chores, and the access to the tower was through a wooden bridge that allowed passing above the defensive wall. A ravelin protected the tower, isolating the enemy inside a closed area, where it could be easily attacked.
The gate was also the main entrance to the town center. Corso Ercole I d'Este ends in front of the Estense Castle, main residence of the Estense family since the Renaissance.
The fate of the Estense’s dynasty is forever linked to the Porta degli Angeli. The last member of the family to leave Ferrara was Cesare, declared illegitimate heir by the Pope, who for a legal loop did not recognize the marriage of Cesare’s grandparents. Cesare was therefore suddenly usurper of the ducal seat and the feud conceded to his ancestors centuries before was retrieved by the Papal state, following the unwritten law that a male heir was always needed.
The Duke tried at first to oppose but finally surrendered in 1598 and left the city crossing Porta degli Angeli. From Ferrara he moved to Modena, which became the new capital of the Estense Ducate.
From that moment, Ferrara remained under the Pope’s control, while Modena and Reggio stayed under the Estensi until the Unification of Italy. After Cesare’s exit, the gate was closed thus officially bringing the Estensi’s dynasty in the city to an end.
The park is right in front of the gate and is dedicated to Giorgio Bassani, the famous author of “Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini” , illustrious citizen of Ferrara who was involved as the president of Italia Nostra in most of the restoration works of the city.
Bassani is buried in the Jewish Cemetery of Ferrara, under the shade offered by the walls he brought back to splendour.
