Palazzo Barbantini-Koch: un nuovo spazio per l'arte a Ferrara

There’s a new stop to add to your cultural itinerary in Ferrara: Palazzo Barbantini-Koch, on Corso Giovecca, now home to La Galleria BPER’s cultural centre.

Formerly the headquarters of the Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara, the building opens its doors to the public following an extensive restoration, inviting you to explore five centuries of art from Ferrara within a historic palazzo.

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^{Photographs kindly provided by La Galleria BPER – ©Paolo Pugnaghi}

A palace well worth a visit, a collection well worth discovering

Completed in 1911, Palazzo Barbantini-Koch retains the grand features of its Neo-Renaissance architecture, including its imposing staircase and formal reception rooms.

The main floor houses Uno scrigno di storia. Arte a Ferrara tra passato e presente (A Treasury of History: Art in Ferrara, Past and Present), a permanent display of 135 works across 18 rooms, spanning the Renaissance to the 20th century.

Through paintings, sculptures and drawings, you can discover artists such as Gaetano Previati, Filippo de Pisis and Achille Funi, alongside works connected to the history of the Este family, including Gaspare Venturini’s Allegory of Good Government, originally intended for Palazzo dei Diamanti.

The visit also includes multimedia installations exploring the building’s history and its relationship with the city.

VANITAS: the first temporary exhibition

Marking the opening of the new cultural centre is VANITAS. Fiori e simboli, da Hayez a Casorati (Flowers and Symbols, from Hayez to Casorati), on view from 8 October 2026 to 31 January 2027.

More than 40 works explore the role of flowers in Italian art throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries: not simply as decorative subjects, but as symbols of beauty and the fragility of life.

Looking to add an artistic stop to your visit to Ferrara? Discover Palazzo Barbantini-Koch on Corso Giovecca, with its permanent collection and programme of temporary exhibitions.

For opening hours and details on how to visit, see the La Galleria BPER website.