Museo di Casa Romei

Casa Romei preserves the layout and decoration of a fifteenth-century merchant's residence in Ferrara. Giovanni Romei built the house between 1443 and 1483; its courtyard, loggias and frescoed rooms reflect both its domestic origins and its later connection with the Corpus Domini convent.

Why it matters

The Ministry of Culture identifies Casa Romei as the only house in Ferrara to preserve the recognisable arrangement of a fifteenth-century residence. Its later convent use helped preserve the building from extensive rebuilding. The museum also contains frescoes, sculptures and inscriptions transferred from other Ferrara buildings that were demolished or substantially altered.

What to notice

The courtyard combines late-Gothic forms with early Renaissance details. Its loggias preserve terracotta and floral decoration. Sixteenth-century grotesques recall the period when the house belonged to the Corpus Domini complex, while the ground-floor Sala delle Sibille and adjoining hall of prophets retain painted decoration. The museum's collection includes works associated with Donatello, Francesco del Cossa, Gregorio di Lorenzo, Alfonso Lombardi and Bastianino. Painted beam ceilings and an alcove room preserve the character of a historic residence.

Context and history

Romei enlarged and embellished the house in connection with his marriage to Polissena d'Este. After his death, the property passed to the Corpus Domini nuns and was partly rebuilt for abbesses from the Este family. The state declared Casa Romei a national monument in 1897 and acquired it in 1898. It opened as a museum in 1952, with collections assembled from buildings elsewhere in Ferrara. Today it forms part of the Musei Nazionali di Ferrara.