In Ferrara: a photo gallery

October 29, 2020

We were really surprised at what an attractive place Ferrara is, and how easy it is to imagine a prolonged stay here. It doesn’t have the attraction of the sea right next door that Pesaro does, but it’s better situated other than that with attractive riding possibilities in all directions. In a day’s ride we could be in either Bologna, Comacchio, Mantua, or Ravenna. Very walkable, very cycle friendly, and just the right size for our tastes. Something to consider if the unimaginable happens here at home this week.

Crossing Cathedral Plaza, with Este Castle ahead.

A bike friendly restaurant, from the looks of it. We ate here for one of our final evening meals before the 6PM dinner curfew was announced.

So many of the buildings here have a warm glow to them.

Not the recommended technique for securing your ride.

The tower of the Ferrara Cathedral, with the bulk of the cathedral behind it.

A wall of shops lines the base of one wall of the cathedral.

Via Giuseppe Mazzini branches off from the cathedral and extends south to the city walls. Nearly the entire way is lined today with thousands of enmeshed swifts.

The highly atmospheric Via della Volte, one of the best preserved medieval streets in Europe. One side of the long cobblestoned street is lined with merchant houses and the other with their warehouses, with them joined by a series of many arches (volte).

One of the many wings of the vast Certosa di Ferrara, the Ferrara Charterhouse.

One of the highlights of this city is Palazzo dei Diamanti (The Diamond Palace), a residence of the Este family that ruled Ferrara for 300 years. Diamonds were one of the family emblems, and the palace facade is covered with over 8,000 marble blocks in the shape of diamonds. Those at the top are angled upwards and at the bottom downwards, to maximize reflectivity.

The Municipal Palace (City hall) was another residence of the Este family.

Booksellers, and Scalone d Onore, another component of the Municipal Palace.

Corso Ecole l d’Este, the elegant avenue that runs from Porta della Angeli (one of the northern gates through the city walls) past the Diamond Palace to the heart of the city.

Castello Estense (Este Castle) is perhaps the most prominent structure in the city. A fully moated fortification that dates back to the XV century, it was massively renovated about 15 years ago. Very impressive and interesting from the outside, and I’m sure would be worth an exploration inside on a rainy day.

The mechanism for raising and lowering the drawbridge, Castello Estense.

Modeling a wreath headpiece, Castello Estense. These must be a thing here - we saw another one in Bologna.

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