Last updated on
January 17, 2024.
January 17, 2024.
Today is another day of train travelling. Fortunately public transport is excellent in Italy. We have used if before and frequently. Our objective for today is Ferrara. Unlike the other larger cities in the province of Emilia Romagna Ferrara is not located parallel to the Apennine Mountains. It is more up north in the Po Plain. It lies on the southern shores of the Po river, about 44 km north-east of the regional capital, Bologna. Depending which train you take, the train ride will take about half an hour to an hour.
The town of Ferrara is old! It can be dated back to 600 BC. Archeological finds of the Etruscan town of Spina were discovered during drainage of the Valli di Comacchio marshes in 1922. Excavations revealed a necropolis with over 4,000 tombs. Clear evidence of a population centre that in Antiquity must have played a major role. The name Ferrara appears first in a document of the Lombard king Desiderius of 753 AD, when he captured the town from the ruler of Ravenna.
Most of the larger cities in Italy that we visited are simply open air museums where architecture is considered. In that respect Ferrara is no different. The architecture of Ferrara greatly benefited from the genius of Biagio Rossetti, who was requested in 1484 by Ercole I to draft a master plan for the expansion of the town. The resulting expansion is considered one of the most important examples of Renaissance urban planning and contributed to the selection of Ferrara as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
When exiting the station we turn left and cross the street into the Viale Cavour. A wide and prestige′s boulevard that cuts Ferrara in two. Following this we walk right into the heart of the city with all the impressive monuments. Like the Castello Estense, a moated medieval castle in the city center with quite an number of large carps swimming around. One of them being a beautiful orange one.
During our visit there were festivities related to the founding of the Italian state in and around the castle. There are stands with books, toys, antiquities and foods and drinks. They have also organized some activities for children. This has drawn in a large crowed of people and resulted in the city center being a busy beehive.
After having walked around and having visited some of the monuments, we are getting hungry. When checking out some of the restaurants and there menu we decided for Ristorante Marchesi, located in the quiet Via Vignatagliata street in the former Jewish quarter. When we visited the city of Lucca during our stay in Pisa I had gnocchi for lunch, which I enjoyed. The menu here also mentions gnocchi, so that is my choice for the day. With some cold white wine of course! Ristorante Marchesi is restaurant I can fully recommend. Relaxed atmosphere, delicious food and friendly people!
Then it is back to train station and Bologna. And obviously a nightcap at the NUOVO Caffé and some snacks to go with that.