This sprawling complex of museums occupies an austere palace built between 1764 and 1771 for Francesco III d'Este. Several museums call the palace home, beginning with the Lapidario Estense (mostly old tombs) on the ground floor, open daily 8:30am to 7:30pm (free). If short of time, focus on the more rewarding Galleria Estense on the top floor, though you might also take a peek inside the Biblioteca Estense, one of the greatest libraries in southern Europe. The library contains around 500,000 printed works, and an assortment of the most interesting volumes is kept under glass for visitors to inspect. Of these, the most celebrated is the 1,200-page Bible of Borso d'Este, bordered with stunning miniatures.

The Galleria Estense is most noted for its paintings from the Emilian and Bolognese schools from the 14th to the 18th centuries, but there are plenty of beauties from other schools to make this a worthy visit. The nucleus of the collection was acquired by the Este family during the heyday of their duchies in Ferrara and then Modena.

Gianlorenzo Bernini's bust of Francesco I kicks off the collection, which is laid out chronologically. Wander through the galleries and you'll spy two paintings of Madonna and Child by Botticelli; Correggio tackles the same subject nearby. There's a vivid fresco cycle from Nicolò dell'Abate, and in a gallery full of portraits, an image of Francesco I d'Este by Spanish master Velázquez. Raphael's dainty Testa di Madonna is encased in glass, and beyond here are large galleries dedicated to Tintoretto, and a tiny, gorgeous portable altar painted by El Greco. The final galleries feature huge Veronese canvases and paintings by the great Emilian artists of the 16th and 17th centuries, Guido Reni and Ludovico Carracci.