Discover Gambulaga: Delizia Estense, Brolo and Chiesa di San Giorgio
Accommodation in Gambulaga
Gambulaga between Castle, Garden and Church
Gambulaga can be discovered through its special cultural sites. The Delizia Estense del Verginese and today’s Chiesa di San Giorgio give the town distinct historical and architectural accents. Together with the paths through the Brolo and cycling tours in the surrounding area, they create a destination that is particularly interesting for you if you want to experience Italian history not only in museums, but also through buildings and designed landscapes.
File:Portico, Delizia del Verginese, Gambulaga.jpg
Photo: Nicola Quirico via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Delizia Estense del Verginese
The Delizia Estense del Verginese was built in 1550. It was formerly a pleasure residence of the d’Este family and is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building takes the form of a small castle decorated with battlements and surrounded by the Brolo garden. Architecture and garden therefore stand directly alongside each other as two distinct elements that are closely interconnected in the visitor experience.
The Brolo is a reconstructed historic fruit and vegetable garden. It was laid out on the basis of careful research. During a walk, the paths lead past rose beds, aromatic plants, flowering meadows and old fruit varieties. These old varieties are enclosed by the Vite Maritata. In this way, the garden not only makes the design of a historic setting visible, but also draws attention to plants, cultivation and the structured connection between building and open space.
Architecture and History in Gambulaga
Today’s Chiesa di San Giorgio in Gambulaga was built between 1767 and 1777 to a design by the Ferrarese architect Antonio Foschini. Its form recalls a ship: the apse forms the bow, while the façade represents the stern. The church stands on the site of a former castle that was a fief of the Adelardi Marchesella family. In Gambulaga, several historical layers therefore meet in tangible buildings, without the town’s history being confined to a single setting.
Cultural orientation also includes the Museo Archeologico: Il Sepolcreto dei Fadieni. It presents the archaeological find made in autumn 2002 on the S. Caterina estate next to the Delizia Estense del Verginese. At the end of the Brolo there is also the Torre colombaia. It served as a “post office” for carrier pigeons, which lived and bred there.
Explore Gambulaga by Bicycle
Two different historic cycling tours related to the surrounding area are available for active exploration. A local cycling tour leads from Castello del Verginese towards Gambulaga. The historic cycling tour from Portomaggiore to Ripapersico begins at Ponte delle Volpi and follows the “Delizie Estensi” signposting. The different starting points and directions help you determine the tour that best suits your day’s plans, without losing sight of the town’s cultural destinations.
More destinations: Lagosanto, Cento, Voghenza, Massa Fiscaglia, Renazzo, Lido Di Pomposa, Serravalle, Quartesana.
To the main travel overview: Ferrara.
