| After a short period of
time the castle was besieged and burnt. Nothing was left and Nicolo's frescos were also
destroyed (they were painted during the Leonello d'Este period). In 1509, despite the
political-diplomatic disputes, during another fight against Venice people, the territory
was invaded by dalmatian slaves following Admiral Trevisan.
According to his order, purveyor Gradenigo, after having crossed the Po
river and invaded the Polesine di S. Giovanni Battista, sacked many towns (Copparo
included) by destroying cultivation and steling animals. After the peace with the Venetian
people, Ercole II d'Este built a sumptuous palace on the castle ruins which was called the
"Delizia" and was erected between 1540 and 1547. The imposing building
was made up of five towers which were connected one to another so as to create an inner
yard; the rooms had frescos by Dossi and Garofalo.
There was also another enemy which had to be controlled night
and day: the nearby Po river, after the Ficarolo breach of the XII century, had dug on
other route. When it became menacing, its waters often invaded the territory. The famous
Po river breaches at Papozze in 1592 and at Berra in 1595 were particularly serious. |
