A splendid XVI century mansion situated in the heart of the city with private garden - restaurant - hotel bar - lobby - garage. The restaurant's rooms are decorated with painted wooden ceilings bordered in gold. Authentic doors of the XVI century - fireplaces with columns and splendidly colored frescoes of the Ferrara School. All this together with the possibility of Dimima's "Este Seignory" conveys the particularly refined atmosphere of the period. . The bedrooms - Suite and Junior Suite have a name and are accordingly personalized. This mansion is one of those historical buildings of Ferrara which are under the protection of "Fine Arts".

Hotel Duchessa Isabella is the Ferrara's leading inn. It opened in 1990 as a government-rated five-star hotel, named after the Este family's most famous ancestor, Isabella. The guest rooms are identified by the names of the flowers whose colors they most closely resemble. This might strike you as a bit gaudy if you end up in a room with pink pillows and enough satin to charm Mae West.

Each boasts a sense of history and is outfitted with all the modern amenities, plus plush bathrooms. As a courtesy to guests, free horse-drawn tours are offered by the hotel -- a romantic orientation to Ferrara and some of its most significant landmarks.