A very short history of Ferrara

Ferrara is the capital of the province of Ferrara in the northern Italian Emilia-Romagna region. It lies 50 kilometers north-east of Bologna, towards Venice. The town has broad streers and many 1th century palaces. In the 14th century Ferrara hosted the court of the House of Este. Nowadays Ferrara is an industrial town.

The original settlers of Ferrara are thought to have been inhabitants of the lagoons at the mouth of the river Po. The two earliest settlements are the area around the cathedral and the one where nowadays the San Pietro district is to be found.

Ferrara grew into a cultural center in the 15th and 16th century. It was especially famous for its music.

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Ferrara tourist attractions

Castello Estense

The most important building in Ferrara is the Castello Estense, a square castle with 4 towers and a moat in the centre of the town. It was built in 1385 and restored in 1554.

The city itself is surrounded by a 9 kilometer long wall.

More Ferrara places of interest

Other Ferrara tourist attractions are the Palazzo del Municipio (the earlier residence of the Este family), the Cathedral of San Giorgio and many early Renaissance palaces with terracotta decorations as well as a 12th century Romanesque cathedral. The poet Ludovico Ariosto’s house with the room where he died can be seen on Via Ariosto 65 and there are also a synagogue and a Jewish Museum in what used to be part of Ferrara’s Jewish ghetto.

University of Ferrara

The university of Ferrara’s library contains manuscripts of a.o. Tasso’s Orlando Furioso. Copernicus graduated at the University of Ferrara, which also boasts a botanical garden.

Palazzo dei Diamanti and the National Picture Gallery

Ferrara’s most beautiful palace is the Palazzo dei Diamanti, which houses the National Picture Gallery. The Palazzo dei Diamanti is named thus, because of the diamond points into which the facade’s stone blocks are cut. The National Picture Gallery has a large collection of 15th century paintings of the Ferrara School, represented most eminently by Benvenuto Tisio and Girolamo da Carpi.

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Ferrara’s contemporary festivals

Buskers Festival

Ferrara is especially famous for its Buskers Festival. The best street musicians and other street artists in the world are invited to show their talents. No guys with guitars at the Buskers Festival, which does not really make it into a Buskers Festival, but that is another story.

Ferrara’s Palium

Every last sunday of May, a medieval feast, the Palium of St. George is held.

Balloons Festival

The ten day Ferraro Balloons Festival is the biggest hot air balloons festival in Italy and one of the biggest in Europe. The Wikipedia article about Ferrara I used for most of the information on the town does not say whether Ferrara has had to overcome a lot of competition in the hot air balloon field.

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