Discover Ferrara, City of the Renaissance

Ferrara, a Unesco Heritage World Site since 1995, is known as the city of the Renaissance and bicycles.

The city, located on the Bologna to Venice train line and highway, is easily accessible by trains, buses and cars.

Ferrara is a people-friendly city where you can easily walk or ride your bike both day and night, reliving the magical atmosphere of days gone by.

The city was an important medieval centre but only under the rule of the Este family it became an internationally known capital. The court flourished in splendour and for two centuries Ferrara was on a par with cities such as Florence and Venice or with other great European courts in France or Spain. Ferrara became an intellectual and artistic centre that attracted the greatest minds of the Italian Renaissance. The humanist concept of the 'ideal city' came to life here in 1492 and it marked the birth of modern town planning. Ferrara's urban history rests on the fact that it developed, for the first time in Europe, on the basis of planning regulations that are in use nowadays in all modern towns. Ferrara is the only planned Renaissance town to have been completed.

The tour starts from the inner courtyard of the Este castle and continues through Piazza Castello, Piazza Savonarola, Corso Martiri della Liberta up to Piazza Cattedrale with the romanasque gothic Saint George Cathedral (visit inside according to opening hours and services) in front of the Cathedral lays Piazza del Municipio, the former Ducal palace. In Piazza Trento Trieste, the old market square, it is possible to see the cathedral side facade. Heading down via San Romano you will discover the old Medieval streets, like via delle Volte, some of these streets, like Via Vittoria and Via Mazzini, became at the beginning of 17th century part of the old Jewish Ghetto.

For this tour no entrance tickets are foreseen in the city centre