A monumental system of international importance
The Este family residences in the province of Ferrara constitute a monumental accomplishment, result of the policy of transformation of the area undertaken by the Este dynasty during their rule over the city, from the fourteenth century to devolution in 1598, and the subsequent reallocation of their state capital to Modena.
Better known as the "delizie" (delights), the name is derived from the symbolic con- notation that the buildings have assumed, thanks to the spirit of grandeur that the Este court cultivated. Ferrara castle, the Schifanoia palace, the Belriguardo palace and Mesola Castle, among the best maintained, together with the Benvignante palace and the Mensa and Verginese villas, form a map that shows us the territorial power of the Este family at the height of their period of influence.
When the Estes came to Ferrara the city was already a strategic centre on key trade and communication routes but it was surrounded by insalubrious marshes. In the first half of the fifteenth century the only activity that enriched the state was agricultural production, and for this reason an intense and effective land reclamation procedure was initiated.
The primary effect was the transformation of the landscape; the marshland and wooded areas were gradually drained and structured to eventually 
become productive farmlands. However, many of the new agricultural lands were created not only as technically efficient farms, but these sites were "interpreted" in the same manner as the Este urban possessions. So not only farms were built, but architecturally sophisticated buildings with artistic decoration of the first order were created as an appropriate backdrop to life at court for holidays, entertainment and hunting. A unique landscape, organized and redesigned as a representation of the ability of their government. In this context the "delights" were a part of the city, set in a unique cultural landscape that expanded from the urban centre towards the sea.
After centuries 
of neglect the Este residences are all that remain of the artistic setting that, between the XV and XVI centuries, delineated the "antique" Po Delta. Since 1999, when Unesco included the "delights" in the World Heritage List, it has become clear that if an area needs to be promot- ed, a process of recognition and awareness must be initiated in order to reconstruct the identity of the locations and their inhabitants.
The "delights", set in a vast territory of over 46,000 hectares, provide an important opportunity for the recovery of historical knowledge, and an even greater possibility to create a site of enormous promotional value.
Presenting them in this manner, as a series of monuments, like the justifiably more famous Venetian villas, offers an opportunity to further develop this potential, especially after the area's inclusion in the World Heritage List. 
A heritage of monuments scattered throughout the province, as an expansion of the site: "Ferrara city of the Renaissance and the Po Delta", would strengthen and increase the attractiveness of each monument concerned, establish tourist routes of great interest for the future development of the territory.
At present the province of Ferrara, the city of Ferrara, the Emilia Romagna Region, the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Culture and the Po Delta Park, on the basis of an institutional agreement signed in 2005 by the all municipalities of the province, have drawn up a Unesco Site Management Plan, which provides the first steps towards a process of knowledge, protection, awareness and appreciation of the cultural landscape of Ferrara which cannot fail to include strong support for the monumental work of the "Delizie Estensi".
