Considered the first modern city of Europe 's as well as a World Heritage Site , Ferrara has a capital Architectural and gastronomic enviable . A city to enjoy slowly , leaving behind the ' clock!
Ferrara is a city to discover slowly, preferably by bike
Ferrara is a city to discover slowly, preferably by bike

1. Best things to do in Ferrara

Be amazed by Ferrara... by his colorful and quiet humor, made ​​of green and bricks, medieval and ancient emotions. 

The city of Dame Este, and nineteenth-century cinema. 

Referred to as "the City of Bicycles", from the name it already reveals its green spirit. Clean air, a few cars in the historical center, living spaces, waiting to be discovered. 

The poetry of Ferrara is your first look at the first coffee at Leon d'Oro, the first bike ride on a Sunday morning ritual... without time and place.

The Castle, the Cathedral, the Town Hall Square, the Jewish Ghetto, Via delle Volte. A scenic ride that can not exclude the Palazzo dei Diamanti. 

Photo enthusiasts will be impressed by Via delle Volte, a cobbled street that runs through 2 km of Ferrara. Long ago, before the Po was rerouted in this beautiful medieval street took place all trade. The times, the steps, the arches, the rarefied atmosphere and romantic, help to draw a small Istanbul ... 

When night falls and the lights go yellow, the atmosphere is filled with whispers and ominous shadows ... Via delle Volte has also been the scene of mysterious happenings and "place of ill repute"... 

Pasta with truffles, a typical dish of Ferrara, Emilia Romagna
Pasta with truffles, a typical dish of Ferrara, ph. by Emilia Romagna Turismo, via flickr

 

2. Tastes and local food 

We are in the nearby of Veneto: the Ferrarese cuisine is in fact a sublime combination of these two lands. 

As in Emilian tradition you will find fresh pasta, hats with pumpkin, Cappelletti and passatelli soup, lasagne. 

Very typical: mess of macaroni with meat sauce or mushrooms. 

“Salama da sugo” is a sausage made ​​of liver, tongue, pork, pork rind, spices and red wine: another dish fat and round, to be eaten in all the season accompanied by roasted potatoes or sauteed vegetables. 

The Great River touches and influences the city, giving surprises in the kitchen with the excellent marinated eel. 

The restaurant “della Sapienza” is the place where you can enjoy cuisine Ferrarese with fantasy and wonder: a former barn and two other rooms created peasants' accommodation with a careful restoration work in accordance with the characteristics and traditions. 

The menu varies almost periodically following the seasonal rhythms of the countryside and is strictly km0! 

 

View of Comacchio's Salt Flats, close to the Adriatic coast of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, belongs to the regional park of the Po Delta, a Special Protected Area considered important for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands.
Comacchio's Salt Flats, photo by Mauro Mazzacurati via Flickr

 

3. Comacchio and surroundings 

The town most surprising of all the Emiliano Romagnolo Delta is Comacchio, with its Trepponti, Palazzo Bellini, the Loggia dei Mercanti ... and the beautiful Benedictine Abbey ... how to lose the Parco del Delta del Po? We recommend a trip by boat in the bag of Goro, departing from Cannavi and walking trail to the mouth of the Po di Volano, where the Nature Reserve Pineta di Volano, to the natural dunes of Punta Cormorant. 

Have a nice visit to the Natural History Museum and a small hike to the Forest of Traversante. 

Panfilia' Woods, an oasis of fauna protection , was formed about three centuries ago , in close connection with the events of the hydrological river Rhine .
View of the Panfilia's Woods, photo by Andrea Balboni via Flickr

 

4. Nature, sport and slow travel

For those who want to challenge themselves with the most environmentally friendly means that there is a forest Pamphylia be visited on foot every season of the year, preferably in the spring and autumn months. The main entrance of the forest is located along the road that runs along the bank of the Napoleonic cable, about 1, 5 km from the town of St. Augustine. The car park, next to the entrance, is equipped with benches and picnic tables and a fountain. 

Remaining silent you can hear the woodpecker and the green woodpecker drumming on the branches. 

After about 700 m you reach the first pit draining, here the vegetation is mainly characterized by plants of indigo bastard, that in the spring and summer of inflorescences have a nice purple. 

After one hundred meters, turn left and climb the embankment of Catino, we are now at the edge of the woods in front of us and extends the orderly countryside of St. Augustine, cultivated for the most arable land. Walk along the embankment in its entire length in an undergrowth mainly characterized by dark green ivy that covers most of the substrate Catino, and then you reach the left embankment of the river Rhine, which delimits the broad floodplain area occupied the woods. Paths a hundred meters, turn left to get back in the woods along the main road perpendicular to the main one. 

Here you can see the beautiful oaks and many logs left to degrade naturally. Reached the main highway, turn right; from here you can choose whether proceeding any further into the woods onto one of the narrow paths that branch off from the main road on the right and come together after about 400 m, or whether to return to the main output.

Castel in Ferrara, Emilia Romagna
Castel in Ferrara, Emilia Romagna, ph. by

5. Where to stay in the city and surrounding

Discover all eco-friendly accommodations in the province of Ferrara, organic farms on the hills, or small  B&B and campingset in the natural park of Delta del Po, or hotels in the ancient cities centers.

Discover all eco-friendly accommodations in Ferrara

Cover image: Stopping to enjoy the landscape in Ferrara, ph. by Caspar Diederik

Author: Angela Sebastianelli

Eco-friendly accommodations

La Piccola Casa di Via Ricotti

Province of Rovigo (Veneto)

Starting from €90.00

Agriturismo Arcadia

Bologna (Emilia-Romagna)

Starting from €75.00

Bed & Breakfast "I Casolari"

Ferrara (FE)

Starting from €65.00

Hotel De Prati

Ferrara (Emilia-Romagna)

Starting from €90.00

Le Stanze di Torcicoda

Ferrara (Emilia-Romagna)

Starting from €80.00

Alla Casella Casa di Campagna

Ferrara (Emilia-Romagna)

Starting from €70.00

Agriturismo il Cucco

Bologna (Emilia-Romagna)

Starting from €80.00

Piazza Nova Guest House

Ferrara (Emilia-Romagna)

Starting from €70.00

Agriturismo Lama di Valle Rosa

Ferrara (Emilia-Romagna)

Starting from €110.00

Locanda Borgonuovo

Ferrara (Emilia-Romagna)

Starting from €50.00

B&B nel verde ma vicino alla città

Ferrara (Emilia-Romagna)

Starting from €95.00

B&B Cà del Buco

Bologna (Emilia-Romagna)

Starting from €60.00