HISTORY OF FERRARA:
Although the area of today’s Ferrara was inhabited since the 6th century BC, the first mention of the settlement in a document dates back to 753 AD, after the Lombard king Desiderius captured the town from the Exarchate of Ravenna. Read More [...]
Later, the Franks conquered Ferrara, and handed over the town to the Papacy. The Church ceded it in 988 to the House of Canossa. After the death of Matilda of Canossa in 1115, Ferrara became a free commune.
In 1264, Obizzo II of Este was proclaimed ruler of Ferrara, and that moment marked the end of the communal period and the beginning of the Este rule, which lasted until 1598. During the Este period, the town was the capital of the Duchy of Ferrara, when it represented an important political, artistic and cultural center.
Ferrara remained in the Papal States for almost 300 years. Between 1805 and 1814, it was part of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, but after the Congress of Vienna of 1815, the town was given back to the Pope. Only in 1860, the town was included in the Kingdom of Italy.
GEOGRAPHY OF FERRARA:
Today, Ferrara is a town of about 130,000 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region, and capital of the homonymous province. The town lies on the southern shore of the Po River, on the Padan plain. Its territory is flat, with a maximum altitude of 9 meters above sea level, and an area of about 405 square kilometers. Read More [...]
Ferrara is located 55 kilometers northeast of Bologna, 65 kilometers northeast of Modena, 70 kilometers northwest of Ravenna, 75 kilometers south of Padua, 85 kilometers southeast of Mantua, 93 kilometers east of Reggio Emilia, 103 kilometers southwest of Venice, 107 kilometers southeast of Verona, 125 kilometers northwest of Rimini, 145 kilometers northeast of Florence, 230 kilometers southeast of Milan, 425 kilometers north of Rome, and about 590 kilometers north of Naples.
TRANSPORT TO FERRARA:
The closest airport is the Guglielmo Marconi International Airport, located near Bologna, about 56 kilometers away. Other nearby airports are the Marco Polo Airport, in Mestre, about 110 kilometers away, and the Antonio Canova Airport, near Treviso, about 116 kilometers away. Read More [...]
The most convenient option to reach Ferrara is by train. From Bologna Centrale, the trip takes about 30 minutes and the cheapest ticket costs 5.20€. From Venezia Santa Lucia, the trip takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes, and the cheapest ticket is 9.70€.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN FERRARA:
LANDMARKS: Ferrara has a well-preserved historical center, rich in monuments, which was designated by UNESCO in 1995 as a World Heritage Site. The city is one of the four provincial capitals (together with Bergamo, Grosseto and Lucca) to have the historical center surrounded by a large wall still intact. Read More [...]
The most important attractions of Ferrara are the imposing Este Castle (Castello Estense), located in the very center of the town, the Cathedral of Ferrara dedicated to Saint George (San Giorgio), one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture, Palazzo Municipale, the 15th-century Town Hall of Ferrara, Palazzo dei Diamanti (Diamond Palace), which houses the National Picture Gallery, Palazzo Schifanoia, Piazza Trento e Trieste, Piazza del Municipio, Piazza Ariostea, and the beautiful Via delle Volte.
EVENTS IN FERRARA:
Every year, on the last Sunday of May, takes place the Palio of Ferrara, a competition between the eight districts of Ferrara, four districts within the medieval walls of the city, and four villages outside the walls.