In 1750 the city council bought Mgr. Bentivoglio's library and, nearly at the same time, was presented with a number of Ariosto's own manuscripts of the Furioso , very much the treasure of the Ariostea to this day. The library separated from the university and became fully autonomous in 1862. The Ariostea manuscripts are subdivided according to their authors, either from Ferrara - as in the case of Ariosto's handwritten fragments of the Furioso , or from elsewhere, and into a few more collections bequeathed to the library. The Palazzo Paradiso was built at the end of the 14th century as a private residence and belonged to the Este family until well into the 16th century.
Some important frescoes survive and bear witness to the importance and richness of the building.
Today, one of the most puzzling cycles looks down to the young readers of the brightly furnished children's section. The recent works have brought to light the original water reservoirs and the garden, which may have well given the name to the place from the Greek and Hebrew etymology paradeisos and pardesh. Now they welcome readers in good weather. By the end of the 16th century the Studio had taken over the building and in the 18th century the small and austere Anatomical Theatre was added. In the early 1960s the University moved into other premises and the Ariostea could spread out in the beautiful rooms now under restoration.