All Places in Ferrara

Princess Art Hotel is a 4-Star hotel in Ferrara, located in Via Mascheraio, about 200 meters away from Piazza Ariostea and about 700 meters away from the Este Castle. Princess Art Hotel offers air-conditioned rooms, with antique furnishings, exposed wood-beamed ceilings and a private bathroom with a bath or shower. Some rooms have a fireplace or seating area. Guests can relax in the shared garden or on the outdoor patio, which is equipped with tables and chairs.   HOW TO GET THERE Princess Art Hotel is located about 2 kilometers away from the Ferrara railway station. The closest bus stop, Palestro Mascheraio, is located about 120 meters away, on the bus Line 3.

Hotel Mercure Ferrara is a 4-Star hotel in Ferrara, located in Largo Castello, a few meters away from Castello Estense. The hotel offers rooms with a classic design, with wood floors and elegant furnishings. Suites includes a private wellness area. Each room features a full HD LED TV with international channels, and free WiFi.   HOW TO GET THERE Hotel Mercure Ferrara is located about 1.5 kilometers away from the Ferrara railway station. The closest bus stop, Cavour Giardini, is located in Viale Cavour, about 180 meters away, on the bus Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11 and 21.

Hotel Nazionale is a 3-Star hotel in Ferrara, located in Corso Porta Reno, about 90 meters away from Piazza Trento e Trieste, and about 300 meters away from the Este Castle. Hotel Nazionale offers modern rooms with LCD TV and free WiFi. Each room, with a contemporary design with wood floors and allergy-free furnishings, features a safety deposit box and a private bathroom with hairdryer and toiletries. A buffet breakfast is served each morning and gluten-free dishes are available on request.   HOW TO GET THERE Hotel Nazionale is located about 1.6 kilometers away from the Ferrara railway station. The closest bus stop, Corso Porta Reno, is located near the hotel, on the bus Lines 4 and 11.

Piazza Trento e Trieste, formerly known as Piazza delle Erbe for the market held there in the past, is the main square of Ferrara.   SHORT HISTORY The medieval square appeared at the same time with the Cathedral of San Giorgio, in the 12th century, and since its inception it became the fulcrum of the political, economic and religious powers of the city.   ARCHITECTURE The square, rectangular in shape, is crossed by a sidewalk 120 meters long and 12 meters wide, called listone. Around the square, you can still admire various ancient buildings, some of them in their original appearance, while others have undergone various renovations and transformations over time. In the northern part of the square, there is the Cathedral of San Giorgio, the Cathedral of Ferrara, built starting with 1235 and completed in 1177. Behind the Cathedral, there is the bell-tower, an unfinished work of Leon Battista Alberti. On the southern side of the Cathedral, runs Loggia dei Merciai, which since the beginning was dedicated to the merchants and to their various shops. The structure still retains its function today, hosting modern shops and commercial activities. The ancient seat of the Shoemakers’ Guild, Palazzo di San Crispino, Read more [...]

Palazzo di San Crispino, also known as the Oratory of the Shoemakers (Oratorio dei Calzolai), is a palace in Ferrara, located in Piazza Trento e Trieste, at the corner of Via Mazzini and Via Contrari.   SHORT HISTORY According to tradition, the palace was built in 808 at the behest of Charlemagne and dedicated to the art of cobblers as a reward to a shoemaker for the services he offered. Historically, between 1461 and 1567, the palace was the seat of the Faculty of Literature, part of the University of Ferrara. In 1567, after it was partially destroyed by a fire, by the decision of the Shoemakers’ Guild, the palace was reduced to an oratory, while the public school was moved to the new headquarters in Palazzo Paradiso. The oratory was dedicated to the Saints Crispin and Crispinian, the patron saints of cobblers, tanners and leather workers. Starting with 1841, the palace was renovated by the architect Giovanni Tosi, who transformed the ancient loggia, giving it a Neoclassical aspect. The facade was decorated with marble medallions by famous artists from Ferrara. The frescoed facade of 1675, work of Francesco Ferrari, which represented Charlemagne on the throne flanked by knights on Read more [...]

The Church of Santo Spirito is a church in Ferrara, located in the western part of the historical center of the city.   SHORT HISTORY The works for the construction of the Church of the Holy Spirit began in 1519. On the death of Duke Alfonso I d’Este, in 1534, the works were interrupted, but the structure was largely completed. In 1570, the church was heavily damaged by the disastrous earthquake that struck the city. Immediately after the earthquake, it was decided to renovate the church and the adjacent convent. The works were completed only in 1630, and the church was consecrated in 1656 by Cardinal Carlo Pio. The convent and the church experienced their period of greatest prestige during the end of the 17th century and throughout the 18th century. Between 1796 and 1799, the French troops of Napoleon Bonaparte settled in the convent. In 1810, all the friars were expelled and the convent was placed at the disposal of the army. On that occasion, many documents were lost. The convent was reopened in 1816. In 1830, the ceiling of the church collapsed, destroying all the decorations and paintings of the vaults. With the royal decree of June 7, Read more [...]

The Church of San Francesco is a church dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, located in the homonymous square, in the western part of the historical center of Ferrara.   SHORT HISTORY The Church of San Francesco was built in 1494 on a pre-existing building belonging to the Franciscans, which was used until the beginning of the 15th century as a mausoleum for the Este family. The church is considered one of the best creations of the architect Biagio Rossetti. Following the 2012 earthquake, the interior, with the exception of a transept and an adjacent chapel, was for a long time unusable and closed to the public. Currently, the central nave and the right aisle can be visited, while the left aisle is only partially accesible.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The facade has typically Renaissance lines, with the volutes, inspired by Leon Battista Alberti, and the marble pilasters that stand out on the terracotta walls. The interior of the church, with three naves, has a Latin cross plan and eight chapels on each side. In the first chapel on the left, there is a remarkable fresco of the Arrest of Jesus by Benvenuto Tisi, better known as Garofalo. In the Read more [...]

Palazzo della Borsa is a large palace in Ferrara, located in Largo Castello, in the historical center of the city, facing the Este Castle.   SHORT HISTORY Starting with the 15th century, the site of the current palace was occupied by the Pavilion Gardens (Giardini del Padiglione) built by the Duke Ercole I d’Este, in place of previous vegetable gardens and small peasant houses. The palace was built between 1756 and 1761 at the behest of the cardinal legate Giovanni Francesco Banchieri, who entrusted its design to the architect Angelo Santini. In 1761, it became the seat of Monte di Pietà (Mount of Piety). In 1796, with the arrival of the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte, the institution was suppressed and all the precious goods preserved inside, such as jewels, precious stones, gold and silver, were requisitioned. In 1807, when the French troops left, its management was entrusted again to Monte di Pietà. In 1930, the institute was absorbed by Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara, already owner of the palace and partially operating on the ground floor of the building. Later, the structure became the seat of the Stock Exchange. During the Second World War, the palace was damaged and the Read more [...]

Piazza del Municipio is one of the main squares of Ferrara, delimited by the wings of the Municipal Palace (Palazzo Municipale), located in the historical center of the city.   SHORT HISTORY The current square housed once the Ducal Courtyard of the Municipal Palace, which was the first residence of the Este family. Subsequently, after the ducal family moved to the Este Castle, the palace was remodeled several times, until its current form. The square is famous for the imposing white marble staircase, built in 1481 to a design by Pietro Benvenuto degli Ordini, characterized by a vaulted roof with a central dome and arches in Renaissance style, with a marble balustrade decorated by medieval Gothic elements. Piazza del Municipio is often chosen as the venue for events such as the flag-wavers’ trials during the days preceding the Palio of Ferrara, and the farmer’s market with typical fresh products from the province of Ferrara.   ARCHITECTURE Piazza del Municipio can be accessed from Piazza Trento e Trieste through the main entrance of the Municipal Palace, called Volto del Cavallo (Vault of the Horse), consisting of a portico adorned on one side by the bronze statue of Borso d’Este, and on Read more [...]

Palazzo Municipale (Municipal Palace) is a palace in Ferrara, located in Piazza del Municipio, adjacent to Piazza Trento e Trieste, in the historical center of the city. The palace was the residence of the Este family until the 16th century, when the court moved to the nearby Castello Estense. Today, Palazzo Municipale is the seat of the Municipality of Ferrara.   SHORT HISTORY The original nucleus of the palace was begun in 1245 along Via Cortevecchia, and was completed between 1472 and 1481. On June 2, 1451, the equestrian statue of Marquis Niccolò III d’Este was placed on the right side of the entrance to the palace, on a support inspired by the Roman triumphal arches. The construction of the monument was entrusted to the Florentine sculptors Antonio di Cristoforo, Nicolò Baroncelli, and Meo di Checco. The statue of Borso d’Este, also finished in 1453 by Baroncelli, was placed on the left side of the entrance. The palace changed significantly over the centuries. Between 1924 and 1928, the facade overlooking Piazza Trento e Trieste was rebuilt by Carlo Savonuzzi in a Neo-Gothic style, while the remaining part along the current Corso Martiri della Libertà had already been remodeled in 1738. Read more [...]

Piazza Ariostea, formerly known as Piazza Nuova and, for a brief period, Piazza Napoleone, is one of the main squares of Ferrara, located in the northern part of the historical center of the city. On the last Sunday of May, the square hosts the Palio of Ferrara, established in 1279, resumed in the 1930s, and regularly held after the end of the Second World War. Palio di Ferrara is considered among the oldest in the world.   SHORT HISTORY Until 1496, the area was occupied by a farm owned by a certain Bartolomeo Zermio. Then, the land was purchased by Ercole I d’Este, the second duke of Ferrara, and transformed into a square, called Piazza Nuova. In the early 16th century, Duke Ercole I commissioned Ercole Grandi to design two columns for his own equestrian monument. On the way to Ferrara, one of the columns was lost in the Po River. The other one, which reached the town, was not immediately raised. The column was placed in the square only in 1675 to house the statue of Pope Alexander VII. In 1796, the French replaced the papal statue with a plaster statue depicting Liberty, which was demolished in 1799. In Read more [...]

Via delle Volte (Street of the Vaults) is an ancient street in Ferrara, located between Corso Porta Reno, to the north, and Via Giuoco del Pallone, to the south, in the medieval center of the city.   SHORT HISTORY Via delle Volte is characterized by arches built during the 13th and the 14th centuries. Its almost rectilinear layout, though, dates back to the oldest urban development of the city, before the deviation of the Po River in 1152. During the 13th century, the street was known as Via dei Bastardini (Street of Bastards), because it housed the Pious Institute of illegitimate or abandoned children (Pio Istituto dei figli illegittimi o abbandonati), which later became the Umberto I Institute. Later, during the 15th century, the street was called Via del Gambero, and was famous for an old filthy tavern, called Bordello del Gambero (Brothel of the Shrimp), assiduously frequented by prostitutes. In the 19th century, it was also known as Via delle Prostitute (Street of Prostitutes), due to the large number of brothels in the area, and some popular sayings still refer to this name. During the 20th century, the street was also called Via Bersaglieri del Po, in honor of Read more [...]