The origins of the museum are commonly traced back to the participation of the City of Ferrara in theTurin General Exhibition of 1884 and the subsequent Great Emilian Exposition held in Bologna in 1888. In those circumstances private citizens and the Deputazione Ferrarese di Storia Patria had provided for the collection of an initial nucleus of memorabilia and documents that at the end of the two exhibitions were placed in some rooms located on the first floor of Palazzo dei Diamanti, where on March 16, 1903 the Museo del Risorgimento was officially opened.

During the Fascist period, the institute experienced a long period of neglect and closure, marred by the 1944 bombing that resulted in the destruction of part of its holdings.
It was not until ten years later that the city administration determined to refound the institution by naming it the Museum of the First and Second Risorgimento, and on April 25, 1958, the old building was reopened to the public with a new section devoted to the Resistance.

The collection is as varied and interesting as ever: objects, weapons, uniforms, flags, prints, and works of art testifying to the years of French occupation, the participation of Ferrara patriots in the Risorgimento epic, the events of World War I, the colonial wars, and the Resistance period.

Since its inception, the Museum has combined its tasks of protecting historical memory with its role as a documentation and research center for the study of local history. The very rich bibliographic and archival collection can currently be consulted at the Documentation Center located in Porta Paola, where meetings with schools and in-depth conferences of a historical-cultural nature are organized periodically.

Currently closed, the new Museo del Risorgimento e della Resistenza will be remounted at the Pico Cavalieri Palace on Corso Giovecca. The exhibition will include a narrative approach geared toward understanding local and national historical events with the aim of preserving history and renewing memory. Works of art, objects from the material culture of the Risorgimento and Resistance, multimedia and interactive content will take the public on a journey of knowledge and exploration, allowing them to reflect on past history and its connections with contemporary history.