Ferrara

Understand

Although it certainly has a thriving tourism industry, Ferrara is not on the typical foreign tourist's itinerary, which makes it perfect for those tourists who want to get off the beaten path of Venice-Florence-Rome and soak in some authentic northern Italian culture. It's characterized by twisting medieval cobblestoned streets, a Duomo (cathedral) with a looming Gothic façade, and—best of all—a castle straight out of storybooks, complete with towers, moat, and drawbridges (that you can cross during the day). Thanks to the d'Este family of astute art patrons, Ferrara contains many beautiful objects de arte, but the genuine masterpiece is the city itself. Half medieval, half Renaissance, the dual cityscape was the vision of oligarch Ercole d'Este, who hired architect Biagio Rossetti to seamlessly meld the newer section to the old. This careful planning earned Ferrara the title of Italy's first "modern city." Today, its captivating, anachronistic ambience is best explored on foot or by bicycle. The city also has a rich literary history thanks to the trio of d'Este court poets Matteo Maria Boiardo (Orlando innamorato), Ludovico Ariosto (Orlando furioso) and Toquato Tasso (La Gerusalemme liberata), whose epic poems remain mainstays of the school curriculum in Italy to this day. Touring the sites will occupy a day, but after that the best way to experience Ferrara is to relax at one (or several) of its cafes and enjoy la vita italiana going on around you.

1 IAT Ferrara (Tourist Information Office), Largo Castello 1 (Viale Cavour), ☏ +39 0532 209370, [email protected]. 09:30-17:30. (updated Apr 2016)

Getting there

By plane 1 Guglielmo Marconi (Bologna) International Airport (BLQ IATA), Via Triumvirato, 84, ☏ +39 051 6479615. (updated Feb 2018) 2 Marco Polo Airport (VCE IATA), Via Galileo Galilei, 30/1, Tessera (Venezia). (updated Feb 2018)

By train The easiest option. Ferrara is on the line that runs from Florence to Bologna to Venice, and thus makes an easy day trip on your travels to the more heavily touristy sites.

3 Stazione di Ferrara (Railway station), Piazzale della Stazione 2-4. Connections to: Bologna (½-1 hr, €3-7), Florence (2-3 hr, €8-20), Venice (1½-2½ hr, €6-12), Ravenna. (updated Apr 2016)

By bus 4 Autostazione (Intercity bus station), via del Lavoro (behind the railway station). (updated Apr 2016)

By car A13 motorway Bologna-Padova, exit Ferrara Nord or Ferrara Sud. highway strada statale 16 Adriatica highway strada statale 64 Porrettana

By coach Flixbus.

Getting around

Take your cue from the locals and rent a bike (at the train station, near the Duomo or interurban companies). Everyone bikes in Ferrara—old ladies in fur coats, mothers and fathers each with a babyseat on the back, studentessas in skirts and stillettos, even the police officers themselves. It's really the most convenient way to get around this city made up of a twisting maze of cobblestone streets. Mi Muovo is an integrated public transport pass for the region. Short-stay visitors might use "Mi Muovo Multibus", a 12-trip bus ticket, see Emilia Romagna#Get around.

See

Ferrara is one of a few provincial centres in Italy (along with Lucca, Bergamo and Grosseto) where city walls were remained mostly intact. The most of the attractions of the city are inside its almost 9 km city walls.The €20 MyFe card covers the entry to several museums and one night city tax for the hotels.

1 Castello Estense (Este castle). Oct-Feb: Tu-Su 09:30-17:30; Mar-May Sep: 09:30-17:30; Jun: 09:30-13:30 15:00-19:00; Jul-Aug: Tu-Su 09:30-13:30 15:00-19:00. The castle, built in 1385, is the main attraction of the city. It is one of a few medieval castles remaining in Europe that retains its moat. See painted ceilings, the Golden Room, the duchesses' Camerino, don't miss its medieval dungeon. €2 extra to climb one of the towers. €12. 2 Palazzo municipale (Palazzo Ducale), Piazza Municipale, 2, ☏ +39 0532 419770. M-F 09:00-13:00. Free guided tours. (updated Apr 2016) 3 Cattedrale di San Giorgio Martire, Piazza della Cattedrale. M-Sa 07:30-12:00 15:30-18:30; Su 07:30-12:30 15:30-19:00. Its construction begun in the 12th century, so the lower part of the building has characteristic Romanesque appearance. (updated Apr 2016) 4 Palazzo Costabili (Palazzo di Ludovico il Moro), Via XX settembre, 124, ☏ +39 0532 66299. Tu-Su 09:30-17:00. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale (National Archaeological Museum) is here. The collection of the museum mostly consists of various artifacts excavated from Greek and Etruscan tombs. €5. (updated Apr 2016) 5 Palazzo dei Diamanti, 21 Corso Ercole d'Este, ☏ +39 0532 205844, [email protected]. Tu W F-Su 09:00-14:00, Th 09:00-19:00. On the 1st floor it hosts Pinacoteca Nazionale (National Gallery). The ground floor is dedicated for temporary exhibitions. €4. (updated Apr 2016) 6 Palazzo Schifanoia (Museo Schifanoia), Via Scandiana, 23, ☏ +39 0532 244949. price=€10. It was the only summer residence of Este family inside the city walls. Today the main attraction of the palace is Salone dei Mesi ("Hall of the Months") decorated by paga

Do

Take a stroll or a bike ride around the walls, either on the path that runs on top, or on the sidewalks in the park that runs around nearly the entire circumference. Good access at the end of Corso Ercole d'Este or of Via Quartieri.

1 Via delle Volte (Vaulted street). It used to be a street with various shops and workshops during heydays of the city. (updated May 2016)

Events 2 Ferrara Buskers Festival, Via Mentessi, 4, ☏ +39 0532 249337. Aug. International street musicians festival. (updated Feb 2018)

Buy

Ferrara is a fairly well-to-do northern Italian city and predictably has a good number of clothing shops, ranging from budget-fashion Zara to small, expensive boutiques. The main shopping districts are Via Mazzini (the street leading from Piazza Trento-Trieste where the campanile and Mel Books is) and Via Garibaldi (the street leading from inside the Palazzo Municipio), as well as the whole center of the city around the Castello. Every Saturday morning there is an open-air market set up in Piazza Trento-Trieste with a changing weekly theme—ranging from furniture to antiques to clothes to food and produce. One night a week the same piazza is devoted to an open-air candy market. Stop by Ferrara Frutta (the best one is on the very end of Via Garibaldi), a co-op that sells fresh local produce of excellent quality for very low prices.

Eat

Panini and Piadine In Italian, a "piadina" is the type of pressed, flatbread sandwich that is known in the United States as the "panini." Actual "panini" (singular "panino") are merely normal sandwiches.

1 Mordicchio La Piadina, Piazza Sacrati, ☏ +39 380 767 5585. M-W 12:00-15:00, 18:45-22:00; Th 12:00-15:00; F Sa 12:00-15:00, 18:45-22:00. A little on the costly side, but for a quick bite head down Via Garibaldi to the piadina stand across from the Indian restaurant. Don't forget to try the perfectly cooked French fries. 2 Birreria Giori, Piazza