The Ducal Palace of Sassuolo was commissioned by Duke Francesco I d'Este in 1634. The architect Bartolomeo Advini was commissioned to transform the Este castle into a modern suburban residence for summer holidays. The frescoes, paintings, stuccos and sculptures of Baroque inspiration that decorate the interiors of this “Delizia” are the work of the artists Jean Boulanger, Angelo Michele Colonna, Agostino Mitelli, Luca Colombi, Lattanzio Maschio. The fountain of Neptune that triumphs in the internal courtyard of the Palazzo is elaborated from a terracotta sketch by Antonio Raggi, a deserving pupil of Bernini. From 1941 to 2004 the Palace hosted part of the Military Academy of Modena and then passed under the direction of the Ministry of Heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism. The current visit itinerary includes a rich exhibition recently set up as a 'studio gallery', a visit to the sumptuous frescoed rooms that made up the grand-ducal apartments with excellent examples of trompe l'oeil and quadraturism and the exhibition of the collection of monochrome works by European and American masters of the twentieth century, specially commissioned for Palazzo Ducale and donated to the State by Giovanna and Giuseppe Panza di Biumo.