The Historical Museum of the Military Academy is situated inside the Palace of the Dukes d'Este, that is now the location of the Training Institute of the Army Officers.
The construction of the Palace began in 1635 at the behest of the Duke Francesco I d'Este, under the direction of the Architect Bartolomeo Avanzini. The façade has got aesthetic unity, original solutions and the simple but imposing central tower with big windows and the balcony and the column that form an harmonious and coherent structure.
From the front door, ornamented in the past with precious bronzes, you entered the atrium that was transformed into Lapidaryin 1929, according to the project of Arturo Prati; on the Lapidary you can read the names of the 7811 Officers, former students of the Military Academy, died in the wars for the Unity, the Independence and the Liberation.
From the atrium you arrive to the Court of Honour, the biggest of the Palace, where the main military ceremonies of the Academy take place; in sixteenth-century stile, with a quadrangular shape, it is bordered by two overlapping arches alternated by columns and with a marble balustrade on the top.
You can reach the Stairway of Honour from the court; its construction started in 1678 and was finished in 1685; it has got two flights interrupted by four ledges that present recesses with statues. The Stairway leads to the Loggia that encircles the Court of Honour and arrives to the rooms in the western wing and to the ancient ducal apartments.
The Prince apartment occupies the western wing and it is composed by a series of rooms embellished by ornate ceilings; on the contrary, the private ducal apartment is situated inside the ancient Castle of Obizzo II. The ancient apartment has got several rooms with remarkable ceilings; it can be reached by the north-east corner of the Loggia and it is the location of the Historical Museum.