Los jardines renacentistas de la familia Este. Un diseño arquitectónico a escala territorial

The link between the territory and the built environment is crucial for the definition of a functional anthropic system. In history, the sites adaptation to geomorphological and climatic conditions has led to a transformation of landscape, which was shaped, composed and organized in accordance with the society and culture of the time, as well as the connected architectural elements. In this context, the garden of the representative buildings has become a field of experimentation, a repository of symbolism and changeable shapes. In fact, in the Renaissance period, nature assumed the role of architecture filter towards the outside, recalling concepts of abstraction and geometrization of nature, at the same time creating a framework shared with the public. This transformation has had a particular impact on the territory of Ferrara, thanks to the secular domination of the Estensi family. Promoters of a cultural rebirth at European level, the Este created villas and great examples of topiary art. To date, very few traces of this garden culture have been preserved in the territory. Starting from a historical-analytical analysis, the study focuses on one of the few preserved examples, the Villa del Verginese, surveying the context with digital 3D terrestrial and drone techniques. The research presented has the dual purpose of verifying the integrated use of these digital methodologies for reading the territory, in the meanwhile showing a wonderful example of anthropization of the Renaissance territory by the Este.