Discover Ferrara
City of the Renaissance: Art and culture splendidly framed by nature
Ferrara is a city rich in history, stemming from the first settlements in the 7th century and rising to peaks of grand splendour with the rule of the House of Este and which saw Ferrara as a cultural capital during the Renaissance.
Even now the magical atmosphere of these times still breathes in the medieval lanes and the wide tree-lined avenues of the fifteenth century, lined by splendid palaces with magnificent courtyard gardens hidden within. Today the palatial historic residences of the Este family, are still alive with culture, housing internationally renowned artworks and exhibitions.
Permanent and temporary shows gather works of celebrated artists who have defined the history of modern and contemporary art - from Romanticists to Impressionists, and Abstractionists to Realists alike.
Attractions of Ferrara
The city is home to a range of various museums:
The National Archaeological Museum that houses the artefacts from the Etruscan city of Spina; the National Art Gallery - housing medieval, Renaissance and Modern Art from Ferrara and other works by great artists such as Giovanni Bellini, Ercole dei Roberti, Mantegna, Garofalo, the Bastianino, Niccolò Pisano and Dosso Backs; the Cathedral Museum; the Museum of the Ottocento (1800's); the Museum Giovanni Boldini which houses the best works of this 19th century Ferrarese painter who pictorially transports traditional Italian movements to the age of Impressionism; the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Filippo De Pisis; the Jewish Museum that tells of the Jewish ghetto immortalised in the writings of George Bassani; the Museum of the Renaissance and the Resistance.
Ferrara is also noted for: the Castello Estense (Este Castle), with its perfectly conserved salas adorned with frescoes and tapestries, the ducal kitchens, its prisons, the Loggia and Garden of Oranges, and the visitable Ducal Chapel; the Casa Romei a 14th century villa with ecclesiastical frescoes, "Ferrariae Decus" furniture of the early 1900s and ornate stonework; the Palazzo Schifanoia, the dwelling of Borso d'Este who commissioned the majestic frescoes in the Hall of the Months showing the cycle of the constellations of the zodiac; and the Palazzo Marfisa d'Este.
Events and shows in Ferrara
A wide range of events occur throughout the year in Ferrara: the International Kite Festival at the end of April; the Palio of Ferrara events throughout May – re-enacting historic horse races and other festival activities from the Borsa Este era such as spectacular flag dancing and tossing; the annual summer "Ferrara under the Stars" concerts, held outdoors with the Estense Castello as their backdrop and starring international famous artists; the International Buskers Festival at the end of August, an international street artists' festival which has enlivened the streets of Ferrara's historic centre since 1987; in September dozens of hot air balloons take to the skies in the Ferrara Hot Air Balloon Festival; the "Internazionale a Ferrara" in October attracts journalists from all parts of the world; and the varied programs of the prose, concerts, theatre and dance seasons staged at the famed Ferrara theatre.
Tourist itineraries in and around Ferrara
Ferrara is also famous for being the city of bicycles. And the historic town walls from 1492 are still excellently preserved providing a wonderful cycling tour of some kilometres immersed in park lands circling the city.
Instead for those who prefer to explore the surrounding plains of Ferrara, there many rich historical and artistic routes including the 15th century Este Belriguardo castle - the "Delizia di Belriguardo", the Verginese and the Mesola and Abbey of Pomposa, the rock of Stellata and the Giovannina Castle.
For environment and nature-lovers the Park of the Po Delta is ideal for bird-watching and being able to discover the interesting world of fish and eel farming.
