Este historical timeline

Origins

Este — Roman Ateste — was a major settlement of the Veneti from around the ninth century BC, sited on a branch of the Adige that has since shifted away.

Turning points

Its wealth shows in the cemeteries: thousands of graves have produced bronzes, ceramics and the engraved situle that define an entire artistic tradition, the arte delle situle, shared across the eastern Alps.

Influential people

The House of Este took its name from the town in the eleventh century. The family went on to rule Ferrara and Modena, and through a branch that became the Welfs it connects to the Hanoverians and so to the British crown.

Cultural evolution

In 1339 Ubertino da Carrara built the castle and walls that still crown the hill above the centre, after the Adige changed course and left the older town stranded.

Present-day significance

Este passed to Venice in 1405 and settled into the role it still has: a market town with a serious museum, and a long tradition of ceramics.