Ferrara

Ferrara

 

Location: Map

 

Ferrara is a city in Emilia-Romagna, capital of the province of the same name. In 1995 it was recognized as a World Heritage Site and in 1999 the recognition was extended to the Po delta and the Este Delights present in the territory of its province.

Geographic hints
The territory of the municipality of Ferrara is totally flat. The development of the city is partly related to the proximity of the river Po which forms the border with the Veneto region and which is currently just a few kilometers from the city centre.

 

When to go

The city can be visited at any time of the year also thanks to the many events and exhibitions that are organized and which attract many visitors. Considering the climate, cold and humid in winter and sultry heat in summer, the best time to move around the city is spring or from the end of August to October.

 

How to orient yourself

The historic center of Ferrara is full of important and valuable testimonies, among which the following stand out:
the Estense Castle (15th century), whose first nucleus dates back to the 13th century
the city walls (16th century)
the Clock Tower (15th century)
the Cathedral of San Giorgio (12th century)
the Palazzo dei Diamanti (XV-XVI century).

 

How to get

By plane
Airport Bologna Airport (Guglielmo Marconi), Via Triumvirato 84 (at 45 km.), ☎ +39 051 6479615. There is a shuttle bus service which directly connects the G. Marconi airport with the center of Ferrara.
Airport Verona-Villafranca Airport (Valerio Catullo), Caselle di Sommacampagna (VR) (100 km away), ☎ +39 045 8095666, fax: +39 045 8619074.
Venice Airport (Marco Polo) (110 km.), ☎ +39 041 2606111.

By car
State and provincial roads
SS16 Adriatic highway 16
SS64 National road 64 Porrettana
SP1 Provincial Road 1: connects Comacchio to Ferrara. Particularly interesting is the stretch of road between Ostellato and Comacchio, characteristic for the landscape, where it is still possible to see stretches of valley on either side of the roadway or in the immediate vicinity.
SP2 Provincial Road 2: connects Copparo to Ferrara
SP66 Provincial Road 15: connects Comacchio to Ferrara passing through Tresigallo. The latter is a town characterized by several rationalist buildings built between 1933 and 1939.
SP66 Provincial Road 66: connects Cento to Ferrara

Highways
A13 Autostrada A13 Bologna-Padova, with exit at Ferrara Nord or Ferrara Sud. The RA 8 motorway link road 8 departs from the latter toll booth, linking Comacchio with Ferrara.

On the train
train Ferrara railway station, piazzale della Stazione, between via S. Giacomo and viale della Costituzione. Trains from Bologna, Venice, Florence or Rome stop in Ferrara.
In addition to Trenitalia, Italo high-speed trains also stop at Ferrara station. For those who like to travel slowly, there are several connections to places in the Po valley. In fact, the city is connected to a railway line coming from Ravenna and Rimini, to another that connects Ferrara with Suzzara and to a railway line that reaches Codigoro. The latter is part of the FER network.
station Cona Hospital station.
station Ferrara station via Boschetto.
station Pontelagoscuro station.
station Quartesana station.

By bus
The city of Ferrara can be reached by bus from the Flixbus company.

By bike
The city of Ferrara is connected to Lake Garda through a cycle route that runs along the Mincio and Po rivers and the city of Mantua. Once you have reached Ferrara, a large part of the historic center, in the oldest part of the city, is closed to car traffic and can be traveled by bicycle without particular problems, but paying attention to pedestrians. From the city center it is possible to reach the Destra Po cycling route and reach the Adriatic Sea.

There are several cycle paths that connect the city center to the suburbs but these are paths connected in a fragmented way, so particular attention must be paid to car traffic.

Destra Po. The Destra Po cycling route is a route reserved for cycling which develops along the right bank of the Po river in the province of Ferrara from Stellata to Gorino and is an integral part of branch no. 2 of the BicItalia national network. The right Po is connected to the city of Ferrara with a cycle path that starts from the locality of Francolino. (123.81km)

 

Getting around

By public transport
Emilia Romagna Passenger Transport. Ferrara Basin Service (TPER). Timetables and routes of urban and extra-urban lines (regional buses and trains)

By taxi
Radio Taxi Ferrara, ☎ +39 0532 900900.

By car
All the information and the complete list of free or paid public car parks can be consulted on the Ferrara TUA website. Below is a selection of the main car parks recommended for a visit to the historic city centre:

Rampari San Paolo (Ex MOF), via Darsena. Free and always free parking. 00:00-24:00. Seats available: 465 per car; 40 for campers (parking only); 15 for tourist buses
Historic Center Parking (Piazzale Kennedy), via Darsena. Mon-Sat (non-holidays) 7:30-00:00 for a fee. 00:00-24:00. 837 seats.
Diamanti parking, via Arianuova. Mon-Sat (non-holidays) 7:30-00:00 for a fee. 00:00-24:00. 192 seats. Recommended for its proximity to those who want to visit the National Art Gallery or the temporary exhibitions organized at the Palazzo dei Diamanti.
San Guglielmo car park, via Palestro. Mon-Sat (non-holidays) 7:30-00:00 for a fee. 00:00-24:00. 167 seats.
Santo Stefano car park, Via Boccacanale Santo Stefano. Mon-Sat (non-holidays) 7:30-00:00 for a fee. 00:00-24:00. 25 places.

By bike
Most of the monuments are located in the historic centre, so you can easily get around on foot or by bicycle. The cycle paths are all flat and easily accessible even for children. Furthermore, a good part of the walls surrounding the city, about 9 km, can be covered by bicycle.

There are numerous possibilities for renting bicycles:
Al Biciclar, Via San Maurelio, 16, ☎ +39 333 9455193. Repair, rental and sale of bicycles and accessories.
Ceragioli, Piazza Travaglio, 4, ☎ +39 339 4056853. Road bike rental, storage and repair.
LinkToursBike, Via Garibaldi, 103, ☎ +39 0532 201365. Bike rental and excursion organization
Pirani e Bagni, Piazzale Stazione, 2, ☎ +39 0532 772190. Bicycle rental, storage, repair and sale of accessories.
Ricicletta, Via Mario Poledrelli, 21 (The activity is located at the Factory Grisù near the Paolo Mazza stadium), ☎ +39 329 0477971, ricicletta@ilgermoglio.fe.it. Bicycles for hire of various types (also tandem and taxi bikes), repair and sale.
Todisco Bike, Corso Porta Po, 102 or via del Podestà, 4, ☎ +39 3461394287. Road bike hire.
Ferrara Store (Bike point belonging to the BiciDeltaPo circuit), Piazza della Repubblica, 23/25, ☎ +39 0532 242759. Road bike hire.
BiciDeltaPo, Via Sgarbata, 170/172, San Bartolomeo in Bosco, ☎ +39 0532 205456. Bicycle rental and organization of individual or group excursions in Ferrara or in the Po delta.
Electric wheels, Via dei Baluardi, 17, ☎ +39 333 1110293. Traditional or electric bicycle rental.

 

What to see

MyFE card
For those intending to stay from two to six days in the city, it is advisable to purchase the MyFE card. This is the official tourist card of Ferrara which offers a series of discounts such as free admission to museums: Casa Romei, Castello Estense, the National Archaeological Museum, the Cathedral Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Palazzina Marfisa and the National Art Gallery. There are also discounts (also on the tourist tax) and reductions for access to services, events and exhibitions at Palazzo dei Diamanti.

MyFE card can be purchased at the ticket offices: of the Estense Castle, Cathedral Museum, Museum of the Risorgimento and Resistance and Palazzina Marfisa d'Este or online through the Ferrara terra e acqua tourist portal. The card costs (October 2020):

valid for 2 days: € 15 (tourist tax exemption for 1 night)
validity 3 days € 17 (tourist tax exemption for 2 nights)
validity 6 days € 21 (tourist tax exemption up to 5 nights).

 

Religious buildings

Cathedral of San Giorgio, Piazza della Cattedrale (On foot: 3 minutes from the Estense Castle. By bus: lines n° 1 and n° 9 from the station, C.so Giovecca - Teatini stop (about 300 m).), ☎ +39 0532 207449. Free entry. The Cathedral was built starting from 1135 and has a façade with three spires with an original combination of Romanesque and Gothic languages. The main portal with a depiction of St. George slaying the dragon in the lunette and scenes from the New Testament in the architrave, both made by the sculptor Nicholaus, is particularly noteworthy. The façade is embellished by the prothyrum (original columns and telamons are kept in the atrium) above which there is a loggia with a Virgin and Child from 1427 attributed to Michele da Firenze. On the tympanum we find a 13th century Last Judgment which recalls those made in French Gothic cathedrals. On the southern side, which overlooks Piazza Trento Trieste, note the bell tower covered in marble which is thought to have been designed by Leon Battista Alberti. Inside the cathedral, completely rebuilt at the beginning of the eighteenth century, Bastianino's fresco depicting the Last Judgment inspired by Michelangelo's in the Sistine Chapel can be seen in the sixteenth-century apse, designed by Biagio Rossetti.
Church of Santa Maria in Vado, via Borgovado 3 (it is located about a hundred meters from Palazzo Schifanoia.). Free entry. One of the richest churches in the city in pictorial decorations with various works by Carlo Bonomi on the ceilings of the nave, transept, choir and apse where the Glory of the Holy Name is depicted. Of great importance is also the chapel of the Precious Blood so named for a Eucharistic miracle that took place on Easter day in 1171.
Church of San Francesco, via Terranuova. Designed by Biagio Rossetti, it was erected in 1494 on a pre-existing building, already used by the Franciscans. The interior can only be partially visited as only the transept with access from via Savonarola is open.
Church of San Cristoforo alla Certosa, Via Borso, ☎ +39 0532 232933. Free admission. Mon-Sun 8.45am-5.15pm. The monastery built in 1452-1461 by duke Borso d'Este. From 1813 it was transformed into a cemetery. The church houses paintings by Ludovico Carracci, Agostino Carracci, Bastianino and other Ferrarese painters of the late sixteenth century.
Monastery of Sant'Antonio in Polesine, via Gambone 17, ☎ +39 0532 64068. Free donation. The Monastery was founded by Beatrice d'Este in 1257 and is still used as a convent. Of great interest are the fourteenth-century frescoes of the Giotto school located in three chapels located in the church of the convent.
Church of San Michele del Gesù, Via Borgo dei Leoni 56, ☎ +39 0532 205908. Free admission. It was built for the Jesuit Fathers in 1570, based on a project by Alberto Schiatti. Inside you can see the 15th century sculptural group in polychrome terracotta by Guido Mazzoni representing the Lamentation over the dead Christ.
Monastery of Corpus Domini, via Pergolato 4. The monastery houses the tombs of some members of the Este family.
Church of Santa Francesca Romana, Via XX Settembre, 47, ☎ +39 0532 1773614. Seventeenth-century church which houses valuable works of art inside, including a crucifixion by Ludovico Carracci.
St. Stephen's Church, Place Saint Etienne. Of medieval origin, it is one of the oldest churches in the city.

 

Civil buildings

«Flash, spirital palace of diamonds,
and you, made to flock only poets and duchesses,
o porta de' Sacrati, smile in the flourishing arch!»
(Giosuè Carducci, To the city of Ferrara)

Castello Estense, Piazza Castello (It is located in the city center and can be reached on foot from the train station in 15 minutes.), ☎ +39 0532 299233, fax: +39 0532 299279, castelloestense@comune.fe.it. € 8.00 full price - € 6.00 reduced price, guided tour € 4 (with the right to a reduced price ticket). 1 October - 28 February: Tue-Sun 9:30-17:30, 1 March - 30 September Mon-Sun 9:30-17:30. Symbol of the city, it offers a fairly articulated visit itinerary. Of great interest are the halls decorated in the sixteenth century, the loggia degli aranci and it is worth climbing the Torre dei Leoni to enjoy a view of the city from above. In some rooms of the castle temporary art exhibitions are hosted.
Town Hall (Palazzo Ducale), Piazza del Municipio 2, ☎ +39 0532 419111. Admission free. From Monday to Friday 9.00 - 13.00, Tuesday and Thursday 15.00 - 17.00. Saturday and Sunday closed. First residence of the Estense family in Ferrara, it is currently the city's town hall. The palace is accessed via the grand staircase built in 1481 to a design by Pietro Benvenuto degli Ordini. Inside is the Stanzino delle Duchesse, a small sixteenth-century room whose walls are completely covered with gilded wood panels painted with grotesque decorations. The Arengo room is also of great interest. It is an environment entirely decorated with frescoes dedicated to the myth of Ferrara which was created by Achille Funi from 1934 to 1937.
Palazzo dei Diamanti, Corso Ercole I° d'Este 21, ☎ +39 0532 244949. Palazzo dei Diamanti is one of the most famous monuments of Ferrara and of the Italian Renaissance. The palace is often home to high-level art exhibitions. On the main floor of the building is the National Art Gallery.
Prosperi-Sacrati Palace. The building, begun in 1493, is the oldest building of the Addizione Erculea and with its position determined the trend of the bearing axes of the Addizione. It was built for Francesco da Castello, personal physician of Ercole I d'Este. Of great artistic interest is the portal surmounted by a marble balcony supported by cherubs sitting on the entablature. The interior of the building cannot be visited.
Palazzo Schifanoia (Palazzo della Gioia), Via Scandiana, 23, ☎ +39 0532 244949, fax: +39 0532 203064, arteantica@comune.fe.it. 10€. Tue-Sun 9:30-18:00. Palazzo Schifanoia was erected in 1385 at the behest of Alberto V d'Este, lord of Ferrara until 1393. The building is the only example still existing today of a residence intended for entertainment and recreation, once called a "delizia": the The term "schifanoia" in fact derives from Schifar or Schivar boredom, to remove the tedium of the pressing commitments required by the government. The splendid frescoes of the ducal period and in particular those contained in the room known as the "Hall of the months" are worth a visit. The walls are characterized by the presence of twelve sections, where the twelve months of the year are depicted, interspersed with seven areas in which scenes of urban or courtly life were painted. Inside, the collection of Cardinal Giovanni Maria Riminaldi is exhibited, to whom we owe the creation of the first public museum collection in the city. The collection consists of marble sculptures, small bronzes, furnishings, mosaics and paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. Furthermore, in the rooms of the museum itinerary there are various paintings, sculptures, medals and ceramics that are part of the collections of the civic museums of ancient art in the municipality of Ferrara.
Palazzina Marfisa d'Este, Corso Giovecca, 170, ☎ +39 0532 244949. Full price: €4, reduced price: €2. Tue-Sun 9:30-13:00 and 15:00-18:00. It was built starting from 1559. It was part of a vast complex of buildings within an area partly used as gardens. This complex was owned by Francesco d'Este and was inherited by his daughter Marfisa, married first to Alfonsino d'Este and then to Alderano Cybo-Malaspina. Marfisa lived here until her death, refusing to leave Ferrara even after the city was devolved to the Papal States, when her family moved to Modena. When Marfisa disappeared, the building became the seat of the Cybo administration until the mid-eighteenth century; from then began a slow deterioration of the property, destined for improper use for a century and a half. In 1938 it became a museum, collecting works and art objects mainly from the antiques market. Among the exhibited works, the marble bust of Ercole I d'Este made by Sperandio Savelli should be mentioned.
House of Ludovico Ariosto, Via Ludovico Ariosto, 67, ☎ +39 0532 244949. Free admission. Tue-Sun 10:00-12:30 and 16:00-18:00. The building houses on the main floor some relics and valuable editions of the works of Ludovico Ariosto. The Giorgio Bassani foundation is located in the rooms on the ground floor. It is also used for temporary exhibitions or other cultural events.
Palazzo Crema (Palazzo Sacrati Muzzarelli Crema), Via Cairoli, 13 (It is located in the center near the Este castle.), ☎ +39 0532 205091. free. Palace of medieval origin which has undergone various modifications and renovations over the centuries. It currently houses the headquarters of the Estense foundation (ex Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara). The palace is open to the public for events and temporary exhibitions.

 

Museums

National Art Gallery of Ferrara, Corso Ercole d'Este, 21 (It is located on the noble floor of Palazzo dei Diamanti and can be reached on foot in ten minutes from the historic center along Corso Ercole I d'Este, one of the most evocative streets of Ferrara. ), ☎ +39 0532 205844, fax: +39 0532 204857, ga-esten@beniculturali.it. Tue-Sun 10am-5.30pm. The art gallery collects paintings mostly from the Ferrara school from the thirteenth to the eighteenth century. These are works from churches in the city and donations. Of great interest are two roundels by Cosmè Tura, the Costabili Altarpiece by Garofalo and Dosso Dossi, the Muse Erato and the Muse Urania from the Studiolo di Belfiore, the death of the Virgin by Carpaccio.
National Archaeological Museum (Palazzo Costabili known as Ludovico il Moro), Via XX Settembre, 122, ☎ +39 0532 66299. Full price €6.00; reduced € 3.00 (from 18 to 25 years); free under 18 years. Tue-Sun 9:30-17:00. Built by Count Antonio Costabili between the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century, it preserves frescoed rooms inside, in particular the so-called Treasure Room by Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo and collaborators is worth a visit. The building currently houses the National Archaeological Museum which collects a vast heritage of Greek and Etruscan materials of considerable importance and beauty from the necropolis of the city of Spina.
Cathedral Museum (Church of San Romano), Via San Romano, ☎ +39 0532 761299, fax: +39 0532 203064, arteantica@comune.fe.it. Full ticket: €6, reduced ticket: €3 (Jun 2019). Tue-Sun 9:30-13:00 and 15:00-18:00. Located inside the church of San Romano, it collects valuable works of art such as the panels depicting the cycle of the months, coming from the no longer existing Porta dei Mesi, the doors of the cathedral organ painted by Cosmè Tura and the Madonna of the Pomegranate ( Madonna Silvestri) by Jacopo della Quercia.
Casa Romei Museum, Via Savonarola, 28-30, ☎ +39 0532 234100, pm-ero.casaromei-fe@beniculturali.it. Full € 3.00 - Reduced € 1.50. Fifteenth-century private house built by Giovanni Romei starting in 1442. Inside it preserves frescoed rooms such as the Sala delle Sibille and the Sala dei Profeti dating back to the mid-fifteenth century. The building is used as a museum and collects frescoes, sculptures and tombstones from buildings in the city.
Civic Museum of Natural History, Via Filippo de Pisis, 24, ☎ +39 0532 203381. The museum exhibits collections of zoology, mineralogy, geology, paleontology and ethnography. A section of the museum is dedicated to planet Earth.
Museum of the Risorgimento and the Resistance, Corso Ercole I d'Este, 19 (it is located next to the Palazzo dei Diamanti), ☎ +39 0532 244949. The Museum contains materials relating to the Risorgimento, the First World War and the Resistance.
National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah (MEIS), Via Piangipane, 79-83, ☎ +39 0532 1912039. The museum is dedicated to the history of the Jews and the Shoah in Italy and hosts exhibitions and events. In particular, the Jewish Book Festival has been taking place in Italy for some years.
Museo Civico Lapidario, Via Camposabbionario, 1, ☎ +39 0532 244949. The museum, located in the former church of Santa Libera, collects Roman marbles and pieces from the collections of Ferrarese scholars.
Palazzo Bonacossi, via Cisterna del Follo, 5, ☎ +39 0532 232933. Free. The building houses the headquarters of the management of the Civic Museums of Ancient Art with an adjoining art library and photo library. The rooms on the ground floor host temporary exhibitions and cultural events.
Documentation center of the agricultural world of Ferrara, Via Imperiale, 265 Fraz. San Bartolomeo in Bosco (Located a few kilometers from the Ferrara south exit towards Bologna, after the town of Montalbano, turn left towards San Bartolomeo in Bosco.), ☎ + 39 0532 725294, info@mondoagricoloferrarese.it. free. The museum displays materials on work and life in the Ferrara countryside from the end of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century.
Botanical Garden of the University of Ferrara, Corso Porta Mare 2b (It is located in the garden of Palazzo Turchi di Bagno). free. The Botanical Garden is an institution of the University Museum System of the University of Ferrara. The areas dedicated to the open-air display of plants cover an area of 4,500 square meters, hosting around 700 species.

 

History

Birth of the city (7th and 8th centuries)
The birth of the city of Ferrara is due to the continuous barbarian invasions that devastated Voghenza between the 7th and 8th centuries while the papacy and the exarchate continued to contend for control of the then episcopal see (while he was bishop, Saint Maurelio, patron saint of Ferrara with Saint George ). Maurelio, who had chosen loyalty to the church of Rome, was killed and Voghenza was no longer a bishopric, moved to Borgo San Giorgio, (the Ferrariola), on the right bank of the river Po at the castrum which was on the opposite bank. In the middle of the eighth century Ferrara, mentioned with this name by Astolfo, returned to the area controlled by the Lombard king. This first settlement corresponds to the site of the ancient basilica of San Giorgio outside the walls.

Romanesque period (from the 9th to the 12th century)
Ferrara left the Byzantine sphere of influence and was occupied by the Lombards. Around the middle of the eighth century, the entire region, which also included Ravenna, Bologna and Adria, was donated by Pepin the Short, king of the Franks, to Pope Stephen II. In Europe, meanwhile, the Germanic nation (with Otto I of Saxony) expanded its dominion and came to control all of northern Italy.

However, Ferrara remained tied to the Church and Pope John XV, after the death of Ottone and considering the emergence of new noble families (including the Canossas), granted the city as a fiefdom to Tedaldo di Canossa. The primitive defensive settlement of the Byzantine castrum continued to expand thus moving the political and religious center from the village of San Giorgio to the other bank of the Po. In these early stages the city developed following the course of the river, it was a linear city, and only later the town began to occupy new northern areas. In 1135 the bishopric was moved to the new cathedral of Ferrara, built north of the primitive settlement of the castrum. The affirmation of distinct powers (religious and political) combined with the urban structure that was taking shape concluded this phase of nascent city. In addition to the new cathedral, the town hall was built, and new roads were built or enlarged, starting from via Ripagrande and via Capo delle Volte, which have bordered the left bank of the Po since the earliest times.

Takeover of power by the Este family
Adelardi and Giocoli (Guelphs) and Salinguerra and Torelli (Ghibellines) fought each other for a long time since the XIII century for the control of the city but the marriage of Azzo VI d'Este with the last Adelardi heir put an end to the struggles; the Este took power for the Guelph faction. In 1240 Ferrara was besieged by the Venetians, allied with the Mantuans.

At the beginning of the fourteenth century the Este family clashed with Bologna, Mantua and Verona and were threatened in Ferrara itself. Azzo VIII d'Este asked the Republic of Venice for help, obtaining reinforcements, but on his death the throne passed to his nephew Folco II d'Este and not to his son Fresco d'Este, who was excluded from the succession. Fresco, to support his right and obtain an official investiture as lord of the city, offered the feud of Ferrara to Pope Clement V.

Wars with the Republic of Venice
The pope initially supported the Marquis Francesco but in 1308 a new war began for the control of large territories north and south of the Po. The Republic of Venice declared war on the State of the Church to keep possession of Castel Tedaldo, an important stronghold of Ferrara . As a reaction, the papal legates obtained the excommunication of the Doge of Venice and of all those who supported the occupation of the city. The conflict had a favorable outcome for the Este family, but they had to wait until 1332 for power to return permanently to their hands.

At the end of the 14th century a new war broke out when Girolamo Riario, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV and lord of Forlì and Imola, attempted to expand his dominion by forging an alliance with the papal state and the republic of Venice to take possession of Ferrara. After alternating military vicissitudes, the peace of Bagnolo was reached which left Ferrara to the Este family but forced Ercole I d'Este to cede Rovigo and Polesine to Venice, thus renouncing the territories north of the Po. In the 16th century Ferrara returned to war, siding against the Republic of Venice in the League of Cambrai.

The Council of Basel, Ferrara and Florence
Ferrara was the seat, between 8 January 1438 and the beginning of 1439, of an important ecumenical council which had among its aims the search for dialogue with the Orthodox Church, the fight against the heresy of the Hussites and the reform of the Church. The Council moved to Florence following the outbreak of a plague epidemic.

The mint of Ferrara in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries
In Ferrara, when by then the administrative structure had reached its solidity despite the political insecurity, a mint became very active and minted various coins. Among these the first was the Ferrarese or Ferrarino, called Denaro Ferrarese, which had a higher value than the other coin minted in that period by the same mint, the Bagattino. Both coins bore on one side the name of the emperor, Fredericus, with the letters F.D.R.C. surrounded by the word IMPERATOR, and on the other side a cross surrounded by the name FERRARIA.

The following century several other coins were minted, among these the Quattrino of Ferrara, which on one side bore for the first time the coat of arms of the municipality and on the other the effigy of the bishop of Voghenza San Maurelio.

The Estensi from the fifteenth century to devolution
From their settlement, the Estensi governed the city for almost three centuries, making it the capital of a small but culturally very active state. Ferrara began to establish itself in the second half of the 15th century with the Marquis Leonello d'Este. The ducal investiture of Borso d'Este in 1471 by the pope was a fundamental recognition and Ercole I d'Este made the city reach its maximum splendor by realizing, in 1492, the Addizione Erculea, the urban project by Biagio Rossetti which made Ferrara was the first modern city in Europe and which expanded the city area towards the north on a rational layout, with wide and straight streets, crossroads also studied from a scenographic point of view, new squares and large Renaissance palaces. Some of the most important artists and writers of the time came to the court such as Piero della Francesca, Pisanello, Leon Battista Alberti, Andrea Mantegna and Rogier van der Weyden. The Ferrarese school of painting was born, with Cosmè Tura, Ercole de' Roberti and Francesco del Cossa. Dosso Dossi, Tiziano Vecellio, Giovanni Bellini, Matteo Maria Boiardo, Ludovico Ariosto and Torquato Tasso arrived.

The musician Luzzasco Luzzaschi was present and when Ferrara became part of the State of the Church, his pupil Girolamo Frescobaldi was welcomed in Rome as organist in St. Peter's.

The presence of the university, already founded in the 14th century with the authorization of Pope Boniface IX in 1391 and at the request of Alberto V d'Este, contributed, in those centuries, to bringing Niccolò Copernico, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Paracelsus and Gabriel Falloppio.

The dukedom of Ercole II d'Este, at the height of Este power, deserves attention for two particular aspects. The duke's love for artillery led him to make Ferrara a military power and one of the European capitals in the production of extremely modern artillery. The greatest expert of the time arrived in the city, Annibale Borgognoni, creator, among others, of a masterpiece culverin called the Queen. The ducal army could therefore count on state-of-the-art weapons for the times.

Ercole II's wife was then Renata of France and this made the city a center of diffusion of the Protestant reform in Italy. John Calvin also arrived in Ferrara, albeit unofficially, and this was certainly not appreciated by the Roman Catholic Church.

Jewish presence
The Jewish community was decisive even before the Este family took power and the lordship attained ducal rank, but it was certainly in 1492 that an important qualitative change took place. Ercole I d'Este, in that year, welcomed the Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings. Since then, Jewish culture was increasingly integrated with that of the city until it became a fundamental and characterizing part of it.

Even after the devolution and the creation of the ghetto, the Jewish presence did not diminish nor did they participate in cultural life. Isacco Lampronti was proof of this, with his activity during the eighteenth century. Almost two centuries later, the story of Renzo Ravenna and Italo Balbo's relations with the Jews continued to bear witness to this indissoluble bond, and the work of Giorgio Bassani was its literary expression.

The devolution to the Papal State and the slow decline from the 17th to the 18th century
Ferrara returned under the direct control of the Papal State in 1598 when the lack of legitimate children of Duke Alfonso II d'Este allowed Pope Clement VIII to regain possession of the feud. With the devolution it lost its status of capital to become a simple border city and faced an inevitable decline. A first sign of the reinstatement of papal power was the construction of the fortress. This happened by destroying Castel Tedaldo, the delight of Belvedere and entire neighborhoods. The fortress was later dismantled during Napoleon Bonaparte's Italian campaign in 1796, rebuilt in the 19th century by the Austrians and definitively demolished in 1859, when Ferrara became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. The chronicles of the time clarified the real reason for the construction of the so-called pope's citadel.

Around 1708 the then commander of the garrison of the fortification decided to demolish the bell tower of the church of San Benedetto. The reason given was that the bell tower, even if far away, allowed with its height to see inside the fortified square and constituted a potential danger. The abbot of San Benedetto managed to reverse the decision by convincing the papal legate, Cardinal Casoni. A second serious consequence was the creation of the Ferrara ghetto which hit the Ferrara Jews hard. Meanwhile, the Estensi, moving to Modena, had brought with them part of the works of art, artillery and ducal archives and the papal state, immediately afterwards, had what remained transferred to Rome and which could be moved more easily. In general, economic conditions worsened for the entire population for many years.

Napoleonic period, Restoration and Kingdom of Italy in the 19th century
The entry of Ferrara into the new century is symbolized by the replacement, on the column in Piazza Ariostea, of the statue of Pope Alexander VII with that of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The whole century was full of upheavals and successive takeovers for the city. There was the expropriation of ecclesiastical property and various innovations were introduced at the administrative level, greater justice and freedom were promised but in the meantime the enrichment of some families at the local level (the Massari and the Gulinelli) took place. In 1809, supported by the Austrians, around 6,000 peasants attempted to storm the city. There were imprisonments, some rioters were shot or guillotined. In 1813 the Austrians returned to Ferrara, Gioacchino Murat resumed it for just one week, then, in 1815, the Austrians returned in a more stable way and restored the power of the Papal State under their control.

A new rebellion in Ferrara got the better of the papal forces, around 1831, but was once again put down by the Austrians. Other insurrectionary revolts of limited scope, combined with partial concessions, took place starting from 1846. A difficult period followed for other causes (nine months of uninterrupted rainfall, floods and overflows of the Po and a cholera epidemic) but, at the same time with positive news. The agricultural vocation of the area was valorised and, in support of this new emerging economy, the Cassa di Risparmio was founded in 1838.

On the political level, the end of papal control was declared in 1849, but the Austrian forces still controlled the situation and proceeded with arrests and executions. A fundamental change took place in the two-year period between 1859 and 1861 which, following the plebiscite of the provinces of Emilia in 1860, led to the accession to the Kingdom of Italy. In that period Giuseppe Garibaldi also passed through the city, on his way to central Italy.

 

Ferrara in the 20th century

At the beginning of the 20th century, the climate that preceded the outbreak of the First World War was also experienced in Ferrara. The interventionism of some exponents of the city bourgeoisie in 1914 also brought Cesare Battisti to the city, and later, with the outbreak of war, several volunteers left even if Ferrara remained far from the front, a rear city, little directly involved in the military operations.

In Aguscello (where the City of the Boy would later arise) a military hospital specialized in the treatment of nervous diseases was operative. Here, for a certain period, various artists such as Giorgio de Chirico, his brother Alberto Savinio and Carlo Carrà were employed or hospitalized. De Chirico in Ferrara then met Filippo de Pisis and also a young woman from Ferrara to whom he was very close and who remained unknown for a long time, Antonia Bolognesi, discovered in him her identity only around 2014.

With the end of the war came difficult years and union demands grew. The large provincial landed property, to contain the demands of the laborers supported by socialism, supported the squadrism of the nascent fascism and there were several episodes of violence. In this climate the assassination of Giovanni Minzoni matured and Italo Balbo was accused of this as instigator (without any criminal consequences following). The bond between fascism and the local bourgeoisie became strong and many members of the Jewish community initially shared these positions. Giorgio Bassani, on the other hand, was always critical of his fellow citizens for this and in confirmation of his opposition to him, around 1941, he joined an anti-fascist group and was imprisoned.

After the regime took power, an important change took place. Squadrism and open violence were abandoned, no longer necessary with the opposition now reduced to silence, and the cultural aspects were rediscovered, also useful for propaganda purposes. The historical and artistic heritage of the city was valorised, the peculiarity of the Estense Ferrara was exalted, while the greatness of imperial Rome was celebrated on a national level. Therefore, despite the tragedies produced by fascism (the numerous victims of squadrism and the annulment of the workers' movement), for over a decade Ferrara was once again at the center of national attention with major initiatives and an urban redevelopment second only to the Addizione Erculea .

Even before the Fascist racial laws were promulgated, the podestà Renzo Ravenna resigned from his office because he was Jewish and then distanced himself from the regime. With the outbreak of the Second World War, the death of Italo Balbo, the subsequent fall of fascism and the beginning of the war of liberation, there were attacks and reprisals. The Federal Igino Ghisellini fell into an ambush, the anti-fascists were accused and eleven Ferraresi were shot next to the Estense Castle on November 15, 1943. The Allied bombings brought death and damage to historic buildings, infrastructures and private homes. For the city, the war ended with the arrival of the British troops on April 24, 1945.

Emblematic figures of the contradictions experienced by the city between the two wars were the hierarch Italo Balbo, first a squad member and violent and then a great flyer, a friend of the Jews, a statesman and man of culture not always liked by Benito Mussolini, the fascist and Jewish podestà Renzo Ravenna , a friend of Balbo, first attentive administrator of the city and then persecuted by the same regime because he was Jewish, and Giorgio Bassani, a Jewish, anti-fascist writer, able to investigate the profound nature of his fellow citizens and to celebrate with his art the city to which he was bound.

The second half of the 20th century began with reconstruction and saw a progressive process of urbanization with the construction of new social housing districts and a slow abandonment of the countryside accelerated by the modification of agricultural practices which required less manpower. For the same reason, many farm laborers emigrated to other countries. Then there was the crisis of some historic companies such as Zenith (footwear) and Lombardi (preserves). Building speculation did not cause too much damage, with the exception of two cases: the skyscraper in the station area and the Porta Paola area, access to the city from Bologna.

At the end of the century (in 1995) the city entered the UNESCO World Heritage List.

 

Ferrara in the 21st century

The new century begins with various problems, including the progressive emptying of the city center linked to a plan for the decentralization of public offices, the increase in difficulties in the distribution sector (particularly small shops) and, on the financial level, the serious crisis of the Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara affecting the whole province.

The pessimistic perception of the citizens of Ferrara regarding the general conditions of life in the city is a critical aspect that unites them to many Italians who live in other local realities and appears more or less amplified according to the quality of participation in public life and political opinions. In this we observe analogies with realities such as Turin, Brescia, Ancona, to name just a few. Themes such as youth unemployment, drug dealing, security, integration and, in general, trust in the institutions, condition relations in the Este city.

In May 2012, the city was hit by the Emilia earthquake which caused extensive damage but no victims in the municipal area.

 

Physical geography

Territory

According to data confirmed by the Ferrara plain reclamation consortium, the territory of the province is 44% below sea level, with depressions exceeding - 4.5 meters in an area between the Po, the Adriatic Sea, the Reno and the Panaro. The alluvial origin of the territory and the fact that for centuries it had been subject to recurring floods led to the first reclamation works carried out by the Este family (with Borso d'Este and Ercole I d'Este) in the immediate vicinity of the city (at Casaglia, Diamantina and La Sammartina) and then to the intervention in the Polesine of Ferrara, commissioned by Alfonso II d'Este in 1580, when the historical phase of the Este duchy was about to end. Among the architects who contributed to the work was Giovan Battista Aleotti. In a short time, also due to the lowering of the soil due to subsidence phenomena, many of the positive results obtained initially were lost and the reclamations were necessarily repeated (by which time Ferrara had returned under papal dominion) with the interventions desired by Pope Gregory XIII , by Pope Clement VIII, by Pope Innocent X and by Pope Benedict XIV. However, the reclamations that had a more lasting effect took place later, during the 19th century, thanks to the new mechanical means available.

The territory, considering its genesis and historical events, is characterized by numerous artificial canals for the irrigation and drainage of the countryside, which have been made cultivable and habitable. It is totally flat with an altitude between 2.4 and 9 m a.s.l. and an area of 405.16 km² (seventeenth municipality by extension in Italy). It borders to the north with the Veneto region, in particular with the province of Rovigo, and to the south with the metropolitan city of Bologna.

The river Po (which over the centuries has changed its course several times) has influenced the city since its birth and has conditioned its development. The municipal territory and a large part of the provincial one constitute an artificially modified landscape, the result of human action which materialized in the large reclamation works mentioned. The city is at an altitude below the average water level of the Po and the river must be controlled by massive embankments. The continuous work of the dewatering pumps is needed in order not to submerge the plain by water and thus allow the waters deriving from the precipitations to be sent towards the sea through the numerous artificial canals.

 

Climate

The climatic situation of Ferrara, surveyed by the Ferrara San Luca meteorological station, shows a naturally variable spring in its first part, with winter tailspins, followed by pleasant days without peaks in temperature, while rainfall is frequent.

Summer is hot and muggy, often interrupted by even violent storms, with hailstorms and a temporary drop in temperature. With the Azores anticyclone, sunny and warm days arrive, with average temperatures for the period. With the African subtropical anticyclone, waves of intense heat arrive, with a high humidity rate for several weeks: on the hottest days it can exceed 40 degrees, as happened for example in August 2017.

Autumn is very cool, humid and rainy. In its second part it begins to be stiff and with almost winter characteristics. Fog usually arrives in the morning and evening hours due to the conformation of the soil which leads to air stagnation.

Winter is decidedly harsh, with medium-sized rains and snowfalls and the frequent presence of fog. In January the minimum temperature stands at an average of -0.9 °C and the maximum around +4 degrees. The average temperature in January is +1.6 °C. With high pressure, night-time thermal inversion can bring the temperature significantly below zero, causing extensive and intense frosts. During the day, in the presence of fog, the temperature remains close to zero. The cold eastern currents can bring the Burian from the Russian steppes, which causes heavy snowfalls or sunny but freezing days.

 

Seismicity

In historical times, the city has experienced two major and devastating seismic events, the Ferrara earthquake of 1570 and the more recent Emilia earthquake of 2012. The latter reached a maximum magnitude of 5.9 with its epicenter in the neighboring municipalities of the province of Modena. There were then many minor tremors, one of magnitude 5.1 in the municipality of Vigarano Mainarda and one of magnitude 4.0 within the municipal area. Numerous public buildings were rendered unusable and serious damage was done to the artistic heritage, school buildings, university, hospital and churches. A lot of damage was also suffered by thousands of civilian homes with about 1,135 displaced persons.

The seismic classification places the territory of Ferrara in seismic zone 3 (low seismic danger, with possible modest tremors).

 

Origins of the name

There are no certain sources on the etymology of the name Ferrara even if it seems very probable that it was not born in Roman times and therefore appeared later, in the Middle Ages. After all, the city was born relatively late compared to other nearby settlements such as Ravenna, Spina and Voghenza. The biblical derivation is also groundless; no Ferrato is ever mentioned in the sacred text. It is also mythical that the city was founded by a certain Marco who would have arrived here accompanied, among others, by a Trojan girl named Ferrara. One would like the image of this girl to be the one that appears carved on the minor door of the cathedral, on the right, and formerly called Madonna Frara. It has been thought of the iron that was worked in the area or that the name came from spelled, the cereal widely used by the Romans and abundant in the Ferrara area; Farraria, that is land where spelled is grown. Another assumption is linked to the important fairs that were held in the area twice a year. The place where these took place was called Feriarum area (fair square). What is certain is that the first episcopal see which arose after the forced transfer from Voghenza was called Ferrariola (Forum Alieni) and that shortly after, in the 7th century, the Castrum Ferrariae, more commonly known as the Byzantine Castrum, was founded.