What to visit

Cathedral of Saint George

It is the most important medieval monument in the city, inaugurated in 1135. The white marble of its façade immediately attracts the eye, as does its Renaissance bell tower (1441-1596), attributed to designs by Leon Battista Alberti.

Once inside, you can contemplate the painting by Guercino (1629) and the fresco of the Last Judgement by Bastianino (1580) in the apse basin.

Schifanoia Palace

Built around 1385-1391 as a suburban recreational residence to "schifar", or "schivar", boredom, the palace was later enlarged at the behest of Borso d'Este (1450-1471) who shaped the building in his own image and likeness, making it sumptuous and unique, in keeping with the European grandeur of Ferrara at the time.

After being compared to a "gem set in a ring" and being the fulcrum of court life in the 15th and 16th centuries, Schifanoia underwent a slow decline that altered its function and form until, in the 19th century, the rediscovery of the decorations in the Salone dei Mesi led in 1898 to the desire to make the former delizia the new civic museum.

The walls of Ferrara

In Ferrara the bicycle is an institution, a symbol or simply the most convenient and fastest way to experience the city. An itinerary for discovering Ferrara on foot is to follow the route of its walls.

Tree-lined embankments and defensive valleys have become a public park in peacetime.

Studied in 1529 even by Michelangelo, the Walls of Ferrara (9 km) are a model of military architecture that can be appreciated in the saddle, both from above and from the once-flooded moat.

Starting from viale Belvedere, we ride along the northern section, built under Hercules I by Biagio Rossetti in fear of Venice (1493-1505). There is a succession of low circular towers, while here and there in the walls are rifle pits, patrol paths and gunports, with rows of trees further reinforcing both the curtain wall and its height.

In the middle of the northern section is the Porta degli Angeli (1525), while at the north-eastern apex protrudes the tip of the Montagnola. To the east from the tower of St. John there are high bastions in the shape of a triangular arrow, while in the southern section the bastions are close to the ace of spades. We continue towards Porta di S. Pietro and Porta Paola, where the history of the walls is documented, a good opportunity to put the bike down and clear your head!

Course Ercole D'Este

A change of scene between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in the theatre of Ferrara's history. Even Unesco has realised that the ancient Via degli Angeli is one of the most beautiful streets in the world. It connects the Castle to the gateway through which the Este family left Ferrara forever in 1598. It is flanked by stately palaces built on land given by the Duke to his favourite families, starting from No. 1 where the palace of the former Monte di Pietà (1756-61) stands.

From the junction with Via Padiglioni, the Naselli-Crispi palace can be seen at the end.

The sequence continues with palazzo Giglioli-Varano, palazzo Gulinelli, the Rossettian palazzo of Giulio d'Este and the neoclassical palazzo Camerini. The street then opens out into the enchanting fifth of the quadrivio degli Angeli, the intersection of the street with corso Porta Mare and corso Biagio Rossetti.