Ferrara
The Flat land, cradle of Renaissance urbanism
Ferrara: Magical and fascinating, wrapped in a seductive and subtle witchcraft, veiled like its mists. Loved and hated by artists, poets and travelers who through time have lived, breathed, listened to it.
Mirna Bonazza
Welcome to Ferrara, a provincial town today and though one of the most important and finest European courts in the XVth Century! Ferrara, the first Renaissance city in the world, is still protected by the city walls and with the numerous architectural beauties preserved inside, the whole center is acknowledged as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ferrara represents the perfect balance of the urban relationship with nature and the ideal place to visit by bicycle. The most important family of Ferrara, the Este, developed the great Renaissance axes that offer extraordinary perspectives punctuated by marble or terracotta facades.
Often chosen by Italian cinema, this city offers a metaphysical atmosphere with its palace, its Estense castle, its Roman-Gothic cathedral and the Jewish ghetto.
Inaugurated a few years ago, the Italian national Jewish museum is the pride of the city but the art gallery in the Palazzo dei Diamanti is a counterpart to Ferrarese and international painting. Numerous palaces, libraries and "delizie" (second residence for peace and love) in the area are enchanting places.
When you have visited Ferrara, venture to the Po delta, Comacchio or Pomposa and then you can say that you have seen Emilia Romagna in its natural splendour ... flamingos, lagoons and canals form an econatural system of great beauty in all seasons.
In addition to the MUST SEE guided tours, here are also some itineraries that we can modify to make your visit a special and very pleasant day.
Itineraries in Ferrara and surroundings
Ferrara Best seller
Must-See 2,5 hours
During this guided tour of Ferrara we will discover how the city developed and the first nucleus along the ancient banks of the commercial PO: We will also understand the first architecture born from the needs of commerce and the famous Via delle Volte, probably the oldest street of the city will allow us to better imagine the frenzy of the city of that time. Along via San Romano or passing through the ancient ghetto you reach the square where the cathedral appears. Romanesque and Gothic style, severely tested by the latest earthquakes, it has a side and a facade unique in Italy and this stone book deserves a historical-artistic explanation. We also see the ancient Jewish ghetto and the severe houses to the whimsical balconies, the ducal palace and its courtyard, Piazza Savonarola and San Michele Castle (external). With a vehicle or bicycle, the tour also includes a tour of the city walls.
Ferrara by bike
Must-Do 3 hours
Ferrara is the city for bicycles ! A biking tour of Ferrara is highly recommended! the best way to visit with pleasure and in complete safety. You will see much more with double pleasure. The tour includes part of the walls in the shade and a panoramic view without effort, Corso Ercole, Piazza Ariostea, the medieval city and everything described in the FERRARA BEST SELLER guided tour.
Ferrara in one day
In depth 5 hours
This full day guided walking tour of Ferrara is the same itinerary of Ferrara BEST SELLER with time at leisure for lunch and it continues in the afternoon visiting the interior of the Estense Castle OR the Schifanoia Palace with its exceptional frescoes in the hall of the months, the largest renaissance frescoed hall in the world.
Writers in Ferrara
In depth 2,5 hours
With this guided walking tour, I will speak about Ferrara and its writers. We will know more about who lived, loved and wrote in Ferrara, under the Este court or we will know more about precious bibles and other great works produced, published or read in the area, citing Il Tasso, Ariosto or Giorgio Bassani ... We will visit the university library.
Jewish Ferrara
In depth 2,5 hours
A jewish walking tour of Ferrara will reveal that the Este family was in favour of the Jews and their presence brought a high contribution to the city up to the passage to the papacy. Dark days soon began for Jews. We will visit the ghetto, the symbolic places and complete with the National Jewish Museum or the jewish cemetery.
Women and Renaissance in Ferrara
In depth 2,5 hours
Why a guided walking tour about women in Ferrara ? Well, In Ferrara women have made history, their weddings, their faiths, their erudition and their beauty are recounted with the names of Lucrezia Borgia, Eleonora d'Aragona Renée de France and many others…
Cinema in Ferrara
In depth 2,5 hours
This walking guided tour of Ferrara and cinema will take us on the "set" places of Ferrara: From numerous novels such as Giorgio Bassani's Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini and The Golden Glasses directed by Vittorio De Sica and Giuliano Montaldo. In 1960 Vancini directed around the Estense Castle The long night of '43, and returned there in 2004 for his latest film And Laughing Killed Her, to tell the story following the death of Ercole I d'Este.
In the Province with a vehicle or a private driver
Comacchio e Pomposa
In depth 3 hours
This guided excursion is an emotional discovery among the watery landscapes of the valleys and numerous birds, then a stop at the "little Venice" Comacchio to admire the particular old bridge and visit the Pomposa abbey, once one of the most important in the Northern Italy probably dating back to the VIII century.