Famous castles and palaces of Italy . llsand towers of a once-mighty stronghold. But thiswas the castle begun, as abundant records testify, on28th July 1338, by Ubertino da Carrara soon after hehad been invested with the lordship of Padua. If any-thing remains of the old home of the Estensi doubtlessit must be looked for at the north-west angle of theenclosure, where on the highest ground stands theruined master tower, or keep, shut in towards theinterior by the fragments of what seem once to havebeen residential buildings. The original limit of thecastle eastwards was the wall bordering the l
Famous castles and palaces of Italy . llsand towers of a once-mighty stronghold. But thiswas the castle begun, as abundant records testify, on28th July 1338, by Ubertino da Carrara soon after hehad been invested with the lordship of Padua. If any-thing remains of the old home of the Estensi doubtlessit must be looked for at the north-west angle of theenclosure, where on the highest ground stands theruined master tower, or keep, shut in towards theinterior by the fragments of what seem once to havebeen residential buildings. The original limit of thecastle eastwards was the wall bordering the little streamof the Sirone. The wall of Ubertino covers a verywide area, roughly rectangular in plan, except wherethe steepness of the hill near the keep occasions anirregularity in the enceinte. The wall is crenellatedwith square battlements and flanked with twelve towers,which with two exceptions are open at the gorge, andare not set at right angles to the curtain. At the north- THE CASTLE OF A PAINTING BY C. E. FERRARA AND ESTE 249 east corner is a big machicolated tower of the fifteenthcentury, flanking a gateway. There was anotherentrance close to the keep which has been walled buildings—a school, a museum and a carriagefactory—have been built within the walls and the grandold pile is in a sadly neglected condition. I could gleanno particulars of its history, and suppose that it wassuffered to fall into decay on the annexation of theterritory by the republic of St Mark. The processof disintegration is not likely to be hastened by anyviolent vicissitudes, for Este is the quietest place I haveever visited. It is quite unknown to foreigners, and Iwas tempted to believe that Petruchio, or one of hiscontemporaries, must have been the last guest, beforeme, to put up at its only inn. In such a place I wasnot surprised to find a botanical garden, but shouldhave been much astonished to find anyone besidesmyself and the gardener in it. Este is, in
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectpalaces, bookyear1912
