A view of central Ferrara from a tower of Estense Castle.
Located in northern Italy only 112 km (70 miles) south of Venice or 108 km southeast of Verona is the “undiscovered gem” of Ferrara. This town isn’t really on the tourist map and is one of those places I love finding and exploring. The vibe in Ferrara felt “authentic”, with just a handful of tourists and primarily locals going about their daily business. It is a compact old city, easy to explore in one day.
A view of central Ferrara from a tower of Estense Castle.
The two main sights in Ferrara are Estense Castle and the Duomo, both adjacent to the main piazza (town square). In addition to these sights, we enjoyed wandering the back alleys, which felt like they had not changed much in a few hundred years.
Estense Castle
Ferrara is home to one of the great castles in Italy, right in the heart of the town.
Street view of Estense Castle.
The castle was constructed in 1385, and although it has undergone many remodels since, it has the classic features that one would expect in a medieval castle–moat, dungeons, kitchens, halls and courtyards.
Moat around Estense Castle.
One of the castle’s halls. The mirrors on the main floor allow the visitor to get a closer look at the marvelous ceiling paintings.
Stone cannon balls in the castle courtyard.
Entrance to one of the dungeons in Estense Castle.
Prisoner graffiti in one of the castle’s dungeons. One prisoner spent 43 years here, and when he left he was proudly wearing clothes that were 43 years out of fashion!
The castle’s kitchen, with room for the fires below and the big pots above on the counter.
Two levels of dungeon doors, you didn’t want to get on the bad side of the d’Este family!
Another view of the castle, with draw bridges – a difficult place to attack!
The d’Este family, who ruled Ferrara hundreds of years, built this castle and imprisoned their political enemies here. There were also at least two executions.
Illustrated bible of the d’Este family. The family, although ruthless, was a great patron of the arts.
Ferrara Duomo (Cathedral)
Unfortunately the 12th century Duomo exterior and interior were undergoing restoration work during our visit, but we were still able to see the interior.
Interior view of the Ferrara Duomo.
One of the chapels in the Duomo.
Interesting display in the Duomo. Note the diversity of figures all working together on restoring the church.
The facade of the Duomo is one of the great architectural achievements of early renaissance Italy and I wish it would have been visible! Look it up.
Piazza Municipale and Surrounding Area
This is the central town square and like most in Italy, it is beautiful, with the Duomo on one side and the Palazzo del Commune (palace) on another side.
Piazza Municipale, Ferrara. The Duomo is on the right. The Palazzo del Comune is straight ahead. Note the old medieval shops nestled right next to the Duomo.
A shopping street in Ferrara.
One of many quiet alleyways in Ferrara.
Ferrara has an interesting feel to it, with the quiet cobblestone streets and old brick buildings.
Practical Matters
We stayed in a 15th century apartment (Nel cuore di Ferrara, you can find it on various accommodation booking sites), located about 5-10 minutes walking from the main piazza. What a quaint setting it was, in an old house with an enclosed courtyard and exposed ancient wood beams.
Our apartment in Ferrara.
This bread is a trademark of Ferrara, but we didn’t find it all that great, kind of dry, more like a cracker!
Another delicious Italian meal in Ferrara!
Like many Italian cities, Ferrara has a ZTL (zone of limited traffic) which means that you must park outside the city walls and walk to the center of town (only 10-15 minutes). I am glad Italy has created the ZTL’s, they remove noise, pollution and traffic from the city centers. But be careful, unless you have a pass, you will get a steep fine if you drive in the ZTL area.
We made Ferrara our home base for a couple of days, visiting Bologna (only 50 km or 31 miles) from here, which also is not overrun with tourists – this will be my next post. We like staying in smaller towns which are easy to get in and out of. Ferrara is also close to Modena, home of Ferrari’s and Maserati’s, if you’re an Italian car enthusiast.