Things to Do and See in Ferrara

The city of Ferrara, the capital of the province of the same name, was one of Europe’s leading cultural centers thanks to the period of greatest splendor it achieved under the rule of the Este family from 1264 to 1598. Furthermore, it was home to the greatest figures of the Italian Renaissance—such as Piero della Francesca, Pisanello, Andrea Mantegna, Jacopo and Giovanni Bellini, Petrarch, Guarino da Verona, Ludovico Ariosto, and Torquato Tasso—all of whom were part of the Este court. The main monuments are associated with this famous dynasty, starting with the Castello Estense, built in 1385 and surrounded by a moat. It stands as a symbol of the family’s power, along with the ducal residence—now home to City Hall—which is connected to the castle by a covered passageway. Among the religious buildings, the Cathedral of San Giorgio stands out; construction began in the 12th century, with the church’s façade initially built in the Romanesque style and later completed in the Gothic style. The Cathedral Museum is rich in artifacts and sculptures, most of which come from the cathedral itself, including the ancient organ doors. Also worth noting is the Loggia dei Mercanti, with its row of ancient shops dating back to the Middle Ages. As for secular architecture, we highlight Palazzo Schifanoia, commissioned by Alberto V d’Este in 1385 and now home to the Museum of Ancient Art, and Palazzo Costabili, which, according to legend, houses the National Archaeological Museum, rich in artifacts from the Etruscan city of Spina. Throughout the rest of the province, there are numerous traces of the Este family, such as in Voghiera, where you can admire Belriguardo—the first residence built outside the city walls, known as the “Versailles of the Este family.” Mesola, an ancient fief of the d’Este family, became their summer residence and preserves the ruins of a 16th-century castle. Also not to be missed are the towns of Codigoro, home to the Abbey of Pomposa—one of the most influential monastic complexes in Europe during the 11th and 12th centuries—and Spina, a Greco-Etruscan city near which lies a necropolis with over 4,000 tombs. Also worth visiting are Argenta, a town of medieval origin situated along the left bank of the Reno River, and in the northern part of the Ferrara area, the village of Stellata with the Rocca di Stellata, and the town of Cento, known for its distinctive Jewish quarter, founded in the 14th century when a Jewish community settled there and fostered a thriving hemp trade.