The first Este dukes ruled invulnerably and achieved an economic and cultural peak: Borso's successor Duke Ercole I had the city of Modena rebuilt according to plans designed by Biagio Rossetti, his successors were patrons of artists like Titian and Ludovico Ariosto.
The revival of classical drama at the court opened the way to a "lively tradition of secular theatre that lasted through the sixteenth century and is significant for the pre-history of opera." During his reign, the architect Biagio Rossetti enlarged the city and built new streets and palazzi making Ferrara the first planned city in Europe.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti | Christina Rossetti | Biagio Rebecca | Rossetti | Stephen Joseph Rossetti | San Biagio Platani | San Biagio di Callalta | ''Rossetti and Theodore Watts-Dunton | Gian Biagio Conte | Biagio Rossetti | ''Rossetti and Watts-Dunton at 16 Cheyne Walk | Olivia Rossetti Agresti | Luigi Di Biagio | Francesco Rossetti |