Ferrara: a town in northen Italy
Most of you have already visited Rome, Florence or Venice, probably, but you cannot be so naive to think that Italy is just this! Here is something for a modern seeker: a city not too eager to jump in the future…and not too provincial to deceive you; more than able to surprise instead. Classy and human: very strange cocktail for the new millenium!

Ferrara... let we take you there!

A wide caleidoscope
Location is perfect for a pleasant detour. So near, for instance, Mantua, Verona, Ravenna or Bologna, Ferrara offers you a chance to stop over, if driving along the highway.
Stay is convenient and many hotels & restaurants offer a wide match with cultural events: the Palio, the Buskers Festival, the Theater Seasons or the extraordinary panorama of art-exhibitions!

A city for bicycles
some names just to attract your attention:
Isabella d'Este, doughter of Ercole I°, married Francesco Gonzaga and became the famous marquioness of Mantua.
Lucretia Borgia daughter of the Pope Alexander VI°, married the Duke Alfonso I° d'Este.
Reneé de Valois daughter of Louis XII°, King of France, and wife of the Duke Ercole II° d'Este, converted to Calvinism, her private chapel is visible inside the Castle.
Nicolò Copernico studied here at the University.
Matteo Maria Boiardo one of the most reputable literates of the Renaissance, working at the Este Court.
Ludovico Ariosto wrote the poem "Orlando Furioso".
Torquato Tasso author of the "Gerusalemme Liberata".
Giovanni Boldini the foremost painter of the "Belle Epoque", born in ferrara, but artistically trained in Paris.
Wolfgang Goethe and Charles Dickens passed by Ferrara in their "Grand Tour".
Lord Bayron wrote a romantic version of the tragedy "Ugo and Parisina" after visiting the town.

The Castle
The Castle (1385) is the symbol of the town. This huge building has seen the glory of the Este Family, the signory that ruled Ferrara for about 350 years.
In 2002 a wider section will be open to the public: a visit include the old quays surrounded by the moat, the ancient dungeons, many frescoed halls at the noble floor: the apartments of the last Duke Alfonso the II°, and the scenic view over the city centre from the top of the Lions tower.

The Cathedral
The cathedral (1135) is the heart of the medioeval part of the town.
The facade, in romanesque and gothic style, is covered with pink veronese marble that shines at sunset melting the warm light in a peculiar allure either to the Piazza and the people meeting here.
The inside is baroque and in the apse Sebastiano Filippi frescoed in 1580 ca., a giant "Last Judgement" after the great lesson of Michelangelo.
Teh Museum nearby hosts the masterpiece of Cosmè Tura (1469) the panels of the ancient organ.

Palazzo Schifanoia
Pride and joy of the Este Family, this incredible Residence was created for the Lords with the sole purpose of alleviating their burden of running state affairs and avoid boredom at all cost, hance in italian: "schivare la noia"!

Marfisa's House
This elegant building (1559)belonged to the niece of Alfonso I°.
Large halls and a the beautiful loggia in the garden are frescoed. Furnitures are original of the period.

Casa Romei
Teh private house of Giovanni Romei (1445), administrator of the Este Lord, is a marvellous example of the late medioeval architecture and shows the high rank reached by this illustious Family through the marriage with Polissena d'Este. Inside there are frescoed halls and a picturesque courtyard with galleries and loggias.
Here lived also Lucretia Borgia, wifw of Alfonso I°, whose tomb is located in the near cloture Convent of "Corpus Domini".

The National Archeological Museum
Splendid example of noble Renaissance private residence (1495), the Palazzo Constabili, also known as Palazzo di Ludovico il Moro, is home to the Museum of Spina, a Greek-Etruscan city situated along the adriatic coast between the 6th and the 3rd century BC. Spina was one of the major trading ports of the Mediterranean, then 200 years ago vanished ino the sea. The archeological site was found only by chance in1922 during great works to reclaim the Lagoon of Comacchio.
Infact the ancient burial grounds unearthed gave back about 22.000 pieces, among which are some magnificent artworks of Attic pottery.

Palazzo Massari - Museo Boldini - Museo De Pisis
The splendid Palace, another Renaissance building, is the home to many masterpieces of some ferrarese painters, such as Giovanni Boldini and Filippo de Pisis, who both spent their lives in Paris. Togetehr with Previati, Mentessi, Melli, Funi and Bonzagni they complete this rare collection ……

The National Gallery
Located at the noble floor of Palazzo dei Diamanti, it displays many outstanding works of art from the Ferrarese and Emilian school of painting, as well as others, from the 13th to the 18th century. Among these: Cosmè Tura, Benvenuto Tisi, named Garofalo, Bastarolo, Dosso Dossi, Ortolano, Mantegna, Simone Martini, a.s.o.

Salone dei Mesi - Schifanoia Palace
Frescoed in 1470, this wide hall is a unique example of the influenceon art of Astrology and Esoterism in the early Renaissance culture of northen Italy.
The artist here were Francesco del Cossa, Ercole de' Roberti and some unknown maestro of the first Ferrarese School, showing also a pristine appreciation of the Flemish style.
The hall, that commemorates the months of the year, contains one of the most famous pictorial cycles of that period, that portrays the Duke Borso d'Este while wisely governing or elegantly conducting leisure activities with the specific purpose of promoting his image at an international political level during all the ambassadors receptions holded here at that time.

The Po Delta: a foggy kingdom!
Unique of its kind, this wide area approaches the Adriatic sea with an attitude: mixing since centuries (3000 years about!) the history of humans and nature!

People have modified the marshlands but have also adapted to these peculiar conditions: from the Neolitic Era to the Etruscan period, frrom the Roman conquest to the Benedictine Monks time, we can follw tracks of farmers and merchants, pilgrim and crusaders, which all got the same conclusion: living near the big river was extremely important and convenient, but risky. They were ready to dare it!

The ancient forest has been destroyed with the time and now we can contemplate the wide landscape for miles, hunting and fishing are forbidden (or severely controlled) activities today and this is the kingdom of birds and valleys (in the latin sense of "floaded areas"), where eals are breeded, grass and bushes inhence the horizon, scattered houses fight against a gray sky.

Winter is not cold, just very humid! Snow seldom appears, but if it does the impact is dramatic: so poetic to stare at ducks "ice-skating"!

The forest of Mesola, near the Castle (1579), is the only surviving wood in the Po Delta thet probably looks a lot like the area did centuries