Ferrara has embarked on a year of festivities, paying tribute its artistic past, as a bustling Renaissance centre, and future, as the Italian branch of the prestigious Hermitage art museum.
Starting in September, the northern city is hosting a string of artistic, cultural, historic and gastronomic events, designed to celebrate Ferrara and promote its reputation at home and abroad.
Ferrara, one of the jewels of the Emilia Romagna region, is famous as the former residence of the Este dukes, whose court was one of the most illustrious of the Italian Renaissance.
The moated Castello Estense, where the dukes lived at the centre of the city, will house the Italian base of the Hermitage when it opens this October.
In the weeks leading up to the inauguration and during the months afterwards, Ferrara has organized Renaissance banquets in the ducal court, a series of historic re-enactments, concerts and dancing.
It will also host Italy's national flag-bearing finals and the first stage in a travelling exhibit devoted to the Este Court.
"Ferrara, the city of the Renaissance, has been discovered by one of the world's top art museums, the Hermitage, which has decided to set up a permanent form of cooperation," commented Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli.
"We want people to learn to visit and discover the delights of Italy's medium-sized cities, which are less popular short-break destinations for tourists yet are among the most beautiful cities in the world".
The Ferrara-based branch of the St Petersburg gallery will act as a scientific study centre, used by art historians to study the collection's priceless art treasures.
"One of the reasons Ferrara was chosen was its strong tradition in studying art and art history," said the city's mayor, Gaetano Sateriale, adding that it had beaten off challenges from Mantua and Verona.
"The Hermitage has reputedly the biggest collection in the world and even they don't know exactly what some of the stuff is. This is where we can help," he added.
Russian and Italian experts will work together identifying and examining the numerous paintings, sculptures and other works that the St Petersburg museum has still not managed to catalogue.
The agreement will also see Ferrara host major exhibitions of Hermitage art at least every two years.
The first of these will be an important exhibition of 16th century paintings of the Ferrara school in 2008, focusing on the city's own "Raphael", Benvenuto Tisi, also known as Il Garofalo.
A second exhibit will focus on Islamic art.
