Ariosto purchased the house in 1526 when, after spending three years as governor in Garfagnana, he felt the need to retire to a quiet domestic environment where he could spend the last years of his life.

Characterized by a square module, respecting punctual mathematical proportions between interior and exterior spaces, the complex deviates from the traditional parameters of Ferrara houses of the time. The arrangement of the fireplaces on the upper floor on the opposite side from the street front is innovative, as is the space reserved for the large hall. On the facade, carved on a long band of terracotta tiles adorning the entrance wall, the poet wanted to keep the pre-existing inscription, “Parva, sed apta mihi, sed nulli obnoxia, sed non / sordida, parta meo, sed tamen aere domus,” the house is small but suitable for me, clean, unencumbered by fees and purchased only with my own money.
Today, the rooms on the main floor of this “little house” offer a historical-evocative reconstruction of the setting created for the Celebrations for the Ariosto Centenaries of 1875 and 1933, through memorabilia and valuable editions of the poet’s works.