Already in the twelfth century, written sources mention the lands of Zenzalino, waterlogged with marshes and rich in game, particularly wild boar, as suggested by the name, which derives from Latin and may in fact refer to a young boar (cinghialino)
In 1434 Bartolomeo Pendaglia, a trusted associate of Niccolò III and the wealthiest man in Ferrara, enlarged and embellished the villa. It subsequently became a prestigious residence, appreciated by Duke Borso d’Este and frequented by Ercole I. From the late fifteenth century it passed to the Counts Trotti, who in 1810 remodelled the palace in Neoclassical style.
The central building is flanked by two square towers and enhanced by a doorway with balcony and family coat of arms. On the right-hand side stands the family chapel, dating from 1830, while to the left rises an exedra-shaped glasshouse from the 1920s. Behind the palace stretches a park with centuries-old trees, an icehouse, a hexagonal dovecote tower and an eclectic-style dépendance built at the end of the twentieth century.
Many of the trees that still grow in this enchanting setting have already celebrated their first hundred years. Particularly notable, alongside the cedars of Lebanon, are the captivating Japanese sophoras, with their dark, sinuously curved trunks like sculptures.
The complex is privately owned, and the park is occasionally open to visitors on special dedicated days.
Private property – no public access
Crime at Zenzalino
At the end of the sixteenth century Count Ercole Trotti was married to Anna Guarini, daughter of the poet Giambattista, an educated woman and singer at court. Rumour had it that she was having an affair with Ercole Bevilacqua, commander of the ducal cavalry and husband of Bradamante d’Este. A scandal ensued: Bevilacqua is said to have planned to poison both his wife and Trotti, while the count was plotting revenge. To defuse the crisis, Duke Alfonso II exiled Bevilacqua to Sassuolo and ordered Trotti to renounce any resort to violence; but on the duke’s death the quarrel flared up again, Bevilacqua returned from Modena and Trotti considered himself released from his oath.
On 3 May 1598, while the couple were staying at Zenzalino, Trotti – acting in concert with Anna’s brother – surprised her in her sleep and killed her with blows of an axe. He fled into Venetian territory, but the testimonies of servants and wet nurse collected at trial established his guilt: he was sentenced to death in absentia and his property was confiscated. In the meantime Ferrara had reverted to the Papal States; Cesare d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio, protected him within his dominions. Anna was buried in the church of Corpus Domini.
After years in exile, thanks to the intercession of the Duke of Modena, Trotti petitioned the Pope and Cardinal Aldobrandini for pardon: in 1605 he was allowed to return to Zenzalino with his second wife, to recover his property, and there he died a natural death. The affair also marked the end of the era of the magnificent concerts at the Este court.
