Emilia Romagna Castles

In the locality of Sabbioncello San Vittore, on the left bank of the Po di Volano, is La Mensa, a historical palace owned by the Municipality of Copparo and the Province of Ferrara. The villa was enlarged at the behest of Bartolomeo della Rovere, bishop of Ferrara from 1474 to 1495, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV and brother of his successor, Julius II, Giuliano della Rovere. The building still has many 15th-century features despite having been modified in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Mensa has a polygonal plan and a cloistered courtyard. The façade, facing west, is prolonged by two walls (surmounted by battlements) that lead into the service courtyards at the sides of the villa.Although Villa La Mensa was never an Este property, it is linked to the House of Este by the illustrious personages who frequented it and those who used it as a residence, especially the bishops of the d'Este dynasty.