This number, like its predecessors over the last eleven years, reflects the complex and varied life of the city and its often innovative development. The reports from the Foundation and Cassa di Risparmio Presidents set out the strategy pursued by the two institutions. Thus the magazine can find a place for an account of the School of Neurology (Granieri), the story of doctor and writer…

Ippolito d' Este and the villas of the Quirinale and Tivoli Cardinal Ippolito d'Este took part in six papal conclaves, and received many votes, though never quite enough to secure his election as pontiff. Upon the death of Paul III, he was the preferred candidate of the French party, but his hopes of election were short-lived. Relationships between France and the Church were deteriorating at…

Comacchio in the documentaries of Fernando Cerchio (1942) and of Cesare Bornazzini (1991)There are two sides to Comacchio. There's the 'picture postcard' town of churches, the Loggia del Grano, the Capuchin arcade, of imposing bridges and unusual noble palazzi. Then there's the 'lesser' town: the chaotic jumble of small houses, the modest bridges, the narrow canals and ditches which run into the public canals.

A cautionary historical tale of the artist and the state: examining Lodovico' s fraught relationship with the Este nobility. What was Lodovico Ariosto's relationship with the Este Court? How did the Ferrarese poet's dependency on his work affect him, this work which was assigned to him purely on the basis of his fame as a poet, and the ability to create works which were elevated…

The private rooms of Alfonso I d'Este on the via Coperta of the Castello Estense in Ferrara The via Coperta is a long group of buildings which runs from south to north between the former Palazzo Ducale to the Castello Estense, consisting of fifty metres of variously-orientated buildings, some based in the public piazza and some in the former castle moat. In the summer of…

A jam-session of jazz and charity in FerraraWhen Nicolas Gilliet, art director of 'Jazz Ascona New Orleans & Classics' launched a fundraising appeal for the musicians of New Orleans devastated by hurricane Katrina, it seemed only natural that Ferrara should be first in line to respond. The swift reaction of our town is not only due to geographic parallels between the two cities-both Ferrara and…

Filippo de Pisis and the temptation of writingDe Pisis' 'vocation' as a painter is always contrasted with, (or, perhaps one should say, accompanied by) his equally great skill as a writer. The story goes that throughout his restless pilgrimages from Ferrara to Rome, Paris, Milan, Venice and finally to Villa Fiorita, de Pisis tenaciously and faithfully amassed the evidence of his dedication to literature in…

Filippo De Pisis and his representation of FerraraDe Pisis' relationship with Ferrara must be seen in the context of the city's relationship with the painter: it would be more precise to see it as a relationship with the people of Ferrara, as well as with the city itself. And these complex relationships are reciprocal: there is also the inverse relationship, that of the people with…

The dramatic development of Ferrara, as seen by a citizen who emigrated to Rome Across the countryside of lower Lombardy, in old farmsteads almost the size of walled cities, I often used to find workers who had 'come from the Ferrara Delta. In the course of my trade union work I met other emigrants from Ferrara at Fiat's Mirafiori plant in Turin, people who had…

Tirinella, a tragic renaissance lover reminiscent of Parisina In 1421 the young Venetian nobleman and textile merchant Alvise Dandolo had been living in Naples for some time. One fateful afternoon that year, his gaze met that of a lady who was returning from Mass at the church of San Giovanni a Carbonara accompanied by her maidservant. The lady in question was fifteen year-old Caterina Capece,…

Ferrara's long-hidden treasureAnyone looking at the southern wall of the Cathedral of Ferrara will notice the shops that have stood under the elegant portico for centuries, but few know that they conceal a unique piece of mediaeval European history: a carved text of the twelfth-century Statute of the Commune of Ferrara.This can be dated back to 13 May 1173, in the time of Pope Alexander…

The Verginese garden restoration has been completed It is a pleasure to write again on the Verginese, a delightful site near Ferrara, on its landscape an article was published in the present magazine in December 2002. On that occasion, a historical evaluation of its landscape was suggested, the research undertaken was the starting point for the restoration plan of the garden. Enough time went by,…

The life of Corrado Tumiati (1885-1967) between medicine, war and literature A recent meeting of historical and medical colleagues, organised to coincide with the staging of an adaptation of Louis-Ferdinand Céline's Semmelweis at the Arsenale Theatre, Milan, has caused me to reflect on the curious bond which joins medicine and literature. One name which came to my attention on this occasion was that of the…

A Neurophysiology Masters for Chinese neurologists The Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing, and the Chinese universities of Canton, Qing Hai and Ning Xia are sending a number of their neurologists to complete their neurophysiology training in Ferrara. The School of Neurology is extremely proud to have been selected as a Centre for Education capable of developing an advanced teaching programme. The course will be…

The death of Adriano Franceschini is an irreparable loss for the city and its cultural development Last December Adriano Franceschini, a member of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara and of the editorial board of this magazine since 2001, died at the age of 85.

Anche nel 2005 sono aumentati i volumi erogatori e i progetti finanziati Continuità, concretezza, fare sistema: mi sembra che possano essere questi i termini coi quali riassumere il 2005 della Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara.I numeri rivelano certamente molto del nostro lavoro. Durante l'anno scorso la Fondazione ha esaminato 595 progetti, accogliendone 441, e l'impegno erogatorio è stato di 6.416.000 euro, rispetto ai 5.625.000…

Etica, credibilità ed efficienza al servizio della genteMarshall McLuhan, scrittore canadese e professore universitario negli Stati Uniti, attorno agli anni Settanta qualificò il mondo un 'villaggio globale', definizione oggi divenuta di uso comune.Anche se Internet non c'era ancora o meglio, era solo agli albori, egli aveva intuito quanto la divulgazione delle informazioni attraverso i media - dalla stampa, alla radio, alla televisione (lì si fermavano…

La natura morta che chiamerò Col luccio mi fu ispirata, almeno il primo spunto concreto, da una tela del Bassanoche è al Louvre, dove, in primo piano, si vede un gruppo di pesci assai delicati di colore. Un piccolo disegno d'album mi fu poi da guida per la composizione del mio quadro. Solo il luccio dallo squisito accordo di bruno, di verde oro, di giallo,…

Ferrara. Voci di una città Rivista semestrale di cultura, informazione e attualità Anno 13, numero 24 - Giugno 2006 Registrata presso il Tribunale di Ferrara il 9 novembre 1994 con il numero 13/94. ISSN 1128-3572 Spedizione in abbonamento postale c. 1, art. 1, l. 46/2004 Edizione fuori commercio, riservata ai soci e agli amici della Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara COMITATO EDITORIALE Francesca Bargellesi,…