Museo Giovanni Boldini

The current museum has been closed for restoration work since the 2012 Northern Italy earthquakes.

[1] The museum was inaugurated during the fascist regimen on 20 October 1935 as part of the urban redevelopment of the city and the cultural rebirth of the ancient Estense capital has been defended by Renzo Ravenna, the mayor from 1926 to 1938, and by Italo Balbo's closest collaborators, including the journalist Nello Quilici [it].

A notable collection of his works, donated by the artist's widow, is located in the halls of the main floor of the palace, together with many drawings, studies and personal objects of the painter.

[3] The museum begins with the baroque chapel of the palace, located beyond the large Festival Hall, then it encompasses three small rooms with early works by the painter, including a Self-Portrait and the oil Two White Horses.

In the fourth room, a sumptuous frescoed environment of vast proportions, five large paintings are exhibited which testify to Boldini's mastery, including the portraits of the Countess Gabrielle del Rasty, and the Infanta Eulalia of Spain, all executed between 1878 and 1891.