10 Reasons Why You Should Include Ferrara in Your Italy Itinerary

“Do you have a place to recommend in Italy?” is one of the most common questions I get.

Many people have already visited all the most popular places in Italy and are looking for something different. Others do not like crowds and long queues for museums and attractions. Others are interested in being among locals and experiencing a genuine, lesser-known location. Well, I think I have the perfect place to recommend for all those different needs!

Piazza Trento e Trieste

Last weekend I was in Ferrara, and I fell in love with the city. It was my first time there (I went there once on a school trip, but frankly, I have no memories about it), and even though my expectations were high, I found the city way more enchanting than I thought. It is incredibly beautiful, full of things to see and do, with a very nice atmosphere, and, being in Emilia-Romagna, the food there is outstanding.

Honestly, I couldn’t recommend it enough if you are looking for a place with a relaxed vibe yet full of interesting places to see and things to discover. But let’s see a list of reasons why I think you should absolutely visit Ferrara.

Castello Estense

1. It is incredibly beautiful. I have already mentioned that, but I cannot stress this enough. I lost count of the number of times I told my husband: “Ma è bellissimo!“, while we were there. The center of the city is full of fascinating squares, like Piazza Trento e Trieste, the beating heart of Ferrara, where you can see the Cattedrale and the Loggia dei Merciai, and the imposing Castello Estense, a bit further away, and the Piazza del Municipio, where you can see the beautiful Palazzo Municipale, which was the first palace of the Este family.

Corso Ercole d’Este, with its cobblestones and beautiful palaces, is another breathtaking sight in the city. Not to mention Via delle Volte, an old Medieval alley that makes you feel as if you stepped back in time. Even the cemetery, the Certosa di Ferrara, is worth visiting for its magnificence!

Corso Ercole d’Este

2. You are surrounded by history. This is common in every Italian town, I know, but Ferrara reached the height of its magnificence during the Renaissance, which means that there are a lot of beautiful – and well-kept – buildings around the city. The symbol of the city is the Castello Estense, which was built by the Este Family, the powerful family that ruled over Ferrara and its surroundings, in the 15th and 16th centuries.

But in Ferrara you can follow different historic routes: the Renaissance one, obviously, focused on the Este family, but also the Medieval one, with the small alleyways of the center (Via delle Volte is the most important one) and churches like Sant’Antonio in Polesine and its frescoes. The city also has a very important Jewish history, with a Jewish Ghetto and a Jewish Cemetery, and the National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah.

the Salone dei Mesi at Palazzo Schifanoia

3. There is wonderful art. Palazzo Schifanoia, built at the end of the 14th century by the Este family to relax, lounge, and feast, is now a museum where you can see the Salone dei Mesi, one of the most important cycles of frescoes in 15th-century Italy (unfortunately, only the frescoes from March to September have survived, but they are breathtaking).

If you are interested in more modern art, you must not miss Palazzo dei Diamanti, another striking palace built by the Este family and named after the more than 8,500 blocks of white and pinkish marble that cover its outer walls. The Palazzo is a beauty in itself and also hosts important temporary exhibitions (there was one about Andy Warhol when I visited Ferrara).

Palazzo Diamanti

4. You’ll love it if you are interested in literature and cinema. Ferrara was the hometown of Ludovico Ariosto, the Renaissance poet famous for writing Orlando Furioso (Orlando Enraged), so you can visit his house, his tomb, and Piazza Ariostea, an enchanting square with Ariosto’s statue at its center. If you are more into contemporary literature, in Ferrara you can follow the steps of Giorgio Bassani, author of Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini and many other novels set in Ferrara.

If you love cinema, though, you may find it interesting to know that the famous movie director Michelangelo Antonioni was born in Ferrara and was deeply inspired by the city. The Spazio Antonioni, a new museum that opened recently, is a celebration of the intellectual and creative universe of one of the fathers of modern cinema.

a Medieval alley

5. Despite all these important sites, Ferrara somehow remains outside the main tourist routes. Even though it takes only 30 minutes to reach Ferrara from Bologna, the city remains overlooked. Probably, it is because tourists are more interested in Parma and Modena and their culinary scene, and in Ravenna and its breathtaking mosaics.

I visited in April: there were a lot of students on field trips during the day, but otherwise it was really quiet. And I bet it won’t get more crowded in other periods of the year because it is unbearably hot in the summer, and quite cold (and foggy!) during winter. Spring is definitely peak tourist season there, yet it was super calm (which I loved!). This doesn’t mean that there is nobody around, though. The city is bustling with locals walking or biking around, and the atmosphere is lovely.

Piazza Municipale

6. Speaking of bikes, cycling is very popular, and bikes are probably the most favorite means of transportation. This makes the city very quiet and relaxing. We rented a small apartment in the pedestrian area, and the silence struck me. I even have to admit that, at the beginning, I found it a bit strange! We are so used to the noise of traffic that, when a city is quiet, we find it odd.

Needless to say, it is a very walkable city. If you stay in the center, you do not need a car. You can walk around, as we did, or rent a bike for an adventure. I don’t like cars that much, so it’s the perfect city for me!

Via delle Volte

7. We were really lucky with the weather, so it might not be the same if you visit in winter, but Ferrara is a great city if you want to spend time outside. The city is surrounded by Medieval walls, which are 9 kilometers long, and are a perfect location for a bike ride, to exercise, or to simply take a walk in nature.

In the center, you have Parco Massari, a beautiful and relaxing park, the Botanical Garden, which is free, and just outside the center, there is the Darsena, a newly opened area along the River Po, with bars, restaurants, and green areas.

Palazzo Massari

8. Ferrara is in Emilia-Romagna, which means that the food is superb there. The most famous dish is cappellacci di zucca,  similar to tortellini but larger, usually served with meat sauce or sage and butter. Then we have the salama da sugo, a traditional dish, which is a mixture of minced pork with red wine and spices. When it comes to desserts, the most important one is the pampapato,  a rich and sumptuous sweet with chocolate, almonds, hazelnuts, candied fruits, and spices.

In Ferrara, you can also find the oldest tavern in the world, as certified by the Guinness World Records: the Osteria Al Brindisi. According to historical sources, it was in existence in 1100, visited regularly by the workers building the city’s cathedral. Its original name, Hostaria del Chiuchiolino, derives from the dialect word chiù, meaning “drunkard”. Copernicus lived in the rooms on the first floor when he was a student at the University of Ferrara.

Cappellacci di zucca

9. Ferrara hosts some very interesting music festivals in the summer, where you can listen to music and be surrounded by beautiful art. There’s Ferrara sotto le stelle, which is held in Piazza Castello, in the very center of the city, Ferrara Summer Festival, in Piazza Ariostea, and Un fiume di musica, right by the river at the Darsena.

The most famous festival in Ferrara, though, is the Ferrara Buskers Festival. Quoting Ferrara’s website, it’s an “event that has been transforming our historic centre into a magical crossroads of cultures, experiences and emotions every year since 1988. Be amazed by street art in all its forms and surrender to the explosive rhythms and smiles of these artists from all over the world”.

la Cattedrale

10. Finally, if you have had enough of Ferrara, there is a lot to explore outside the city. Scattered around the province of Ferrara, you can visit the Delizie Estensi, beautiful Renaissance mansions built by the Este Family to spend some leisure time and relax. If you like nature, I am sure you’ll love the Po Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Europe’s largest, most biodiverse wetland areas.

Regarding unique towns and villages, you can visit Comacchio, an enchanting lagoon town with canals and picturesque bridges. If you love quirkier places, don’t miss Tresigallo, also known as La città metafisica, completely rebuilt as a utopian city by the Fascist Minister of Agriculture Edmondo Rossoni, who was born there, and Gherardi, also known as Il paese del cinema, a tiny village where almost every house is decorated by a cinema-themed mural.

Now you have no excuses, you must visit Ferrara!

---

Don’t forget that you can download the printable version of this post and its Italian translation. You can find both files in Your Italian Toolbox, the private page on my site where I upload all language learning materials, under the section Miscellaneous. You can access the page by simply subscribing to my newsletter.