Location: Ferrara
Top Things to do in Ferrara
Top 10 Things to do Good for Kids in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna
Ferrara ([ferˈraːra] listen (help·info); Emilian: Frara) is a town and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. In 2016 it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated 44 kilometres (27 miles) northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km (3 miles) north. The town has broad streets and numerous palaces dating from the Renaissance, when it hosted the court of the House of Este. For its beauty and cultural importance, it has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Restaurants in Ferrara
1. Todisco Bike
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 103 reviews
2. REAL Escape Room
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 63 reviews
3. Castello Estense
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4,773 reviews
Ticket office closes 45 minutes before.
Reviewed By Stella_Krewleb - Ferrara, Italy
Very diverse aspects: the ancient building, the interesting history, the scary dungeon, the panoramic view from the tower, the amazing old paintings! There are a lot of rooms to admire. Worth a visit to explore the city and very nice for families. In christmas time (might be only a spwcific weekend) there is a reindeer sleigh in the inner courtyard and a lot of cute christmas decoration.
4. Museo Archeologico Nazionale
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 514 reviews
The National Archaeological Museum of Ferrara is housed in the magnificent Palazzo Costabili (said of Ludovico il Moro), one of the most beautiful Renaissance palazzi of Ferrara by the great ferrarese architect Biagio Rossetti. The central courtyard, the loggias, the grand staircase, the wide rooms testifie to the life of a high rank ducal family, evidenced by the extraordinary frescoed ceiling by Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo, which portrays scenes of court life. The story of this exceptional building is linked to the fate of the ancient city of Spina, which begins to unfold in a sensational way at the time of the great land reclamation works in the first half of last century. The Palazzo became a casket for the treasures of the Etruscan city and displays the finds from the town of Spina and the rich grave goods from its necropolis: Etruscan bronzes, golden and amber jewels and wonderful Attic vases, decorated with mythical stories of gods and heroes and with scenes of daily life.
5. Palazzo Massari
6. Museo di Casa Romei
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 434 reviews
Casa Romei was built by the merchant Giovanni Romei around the mid fifteenth century, and constitutes a unique renaissance mansion in Ferrara. Original decorations from the age of its first owner, elegant courtyards, loggias, halls, make it an exceptional landmark inside the ancient city centre. During the time that the house formed part of the Monastery of Corpus Domini, the ceilings of the rooms on the first floor (XVI century), were decorated with elegant grotesques. Casa Romei became a veritable museum in 1955 and received collections of frescoes, statues and lapidaries from mostly destroyed ancient city churches and civil buildings. Therefore you can discover -inside its 15 rooms- witnesses from a forgotten town. The echoes of important artists, such as Donatello, Francesco Dal Cossa, Gregorio di Lorenzo, Bastianino, Alfonso Lombardi, make the visit inside Casa Romei an unforgettable experience of a greater interest.
7. Via delle Volte
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 970 reviews
Reviewed By ginam781 - Portland, United States
At nighttime, this medieval alley street (part of the Ferrara's historic Jewish Ghetto) transforms from a quiet sidestreet with plenty of old arches (thus, the name) to a magical doorway back to another era. The streetlamps glow and, barring the lack of authentic raw sewage or rotting animal carcases, you could be in the Middle Ages. Most of the old town of Ferrara has been power-washed, steam cleaned and made pretty (which I still enjoyed)... not Via delle Volte; I felt as if I could still sense the thousands of difficult lives who lived in this claustrophobic neighborhood. It was one of my favorite experiences in a recent trip to Italy.
8. Ferrara Cathedral
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 813 reviews
This place is temporarily closed. THE CATHEDRAL (INTERNAL VISIT) CLOSED FROM MARCH 4 2019 FOR WORKS. RE-OPENED RE-OPENING: SEPTEMBER 2019.
Reviewed By asiyahnoemik - Pula, Croatia
Beautiful Cathedral, dedicated to St. George. It is located in the historic center opposite the Palazzo Municipale (Town Hall). The sacredness, the majesty and the beauty of the decorations and the frescoes leaves us breathless. The cathedral of Ferrara dates from the 12th century and bears witness to the historical periods of the city. The outstanding facade, divided into three sections, was begun in Romanesque style, still visible in the lower part. The facade is rich in scenes from the New Testament above the central door, the work of the sculptor Nicholaus (1135). The upper part was built some decades later in a Gothic style and besides the numerous small arches and the splayed mullioned windows presents an extraordinary Last Judgment by an unknown sculptor over the central loggia. The imposing Renaissance campanile (Bell tower), in pink and white marble, is an unfinished work attributed to Leon Battista Alberti. The interior of the church is rich in murals, paintings and sculptures by renowned Renaissance masters such as Nicolò Baroncelli and Domenico di Paris (bronze statues of the Crucifixion and of Saints George and Maurilius), Guercino (splendid canvas of the Martyrdom of St Lawrence), Bastianino (grandiose Last Judgment). The interior of the cathedral was rebuilt in 1712 in Baroque style. During our visit it was under reconstruction, but it does not diminish the splendor of the Cathedral. It is possible to enter the Cathedral at certain times.
9. Le Mura di Ferrara
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,128 reviews
Reviewed By Mairwen1
The best thing we did in Ferrara was to hire bikes and ride around the outside of the medieval walls. You can also walk along the top of the walls but I'd recommend riding if you have the time. Built mostly between 1493 - 1505, there are 9 km of walls. When they built it, they pulled out all stops to protect the city and used every defensive technique available in the 1400s. You can still many of these defences - city gates, solid bastions, large towers, arrowslits and a patrol path along the top. Smaller semi-circular towers were built at intervals along the path for the sentries. The path is very safe and easy to follow. You ride entirely on shared bike/walking paths (not roads). For the most part, the paths are flat and even with loose gravel (see photos). You can build up a bit of speed if you want. There are no really hilly stretches although there are parts with slight inclines. It is all quite manageable and fun for kids. TIPS: • We hired the bikes from the Hotel Annunciata (Piazza Republica) but that’s only because we were nearby. There are several other places which may or may not be better value or have better bikes. This place had a number of regular bikes available. For half a day, we paid €7pp (€5 if you are a guest). • Take some ID or a passport because you might need to show it to hire a bike • We joined the bike path by riding across the main piazza and exiting via Corsa Porta Reno • Wear older clothes. Even on a sunny day, there were some muddy puddles (there were only a couple but somehow I didn't pre-think this and wore white pants which was not a good idea). • Take a water bottle - there wasn't anywhere to get water.
10. Chiesa di Santa Maria in Vado
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 124 reviews
Santa Maria in Vado is a church located on Via Borgovado number 3 in Ferrara, Region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy.The church derives its name from a guado or fording (vado in dialect) that was located nearby. A church at the site was documented since the tenth century, but on Easter of 1171, a eucharistic miracle occurred when blood spouted from the host during consecration.[1] This made the church an object of pilgrimage. This miracle that appears to confirm transubstantiation resembles the subsequent events depicted in The Mass at Bolsena by Raphael.
