Things to do near Country of Ferrara Italy – what to see attractions and activities

Comacchio - Walls, towers and gates

La torre dell'orologio

Comacchio - Churches and places of worship

Basilica di San Cassiano

Comacchio - Parks and nature reserves

Parco delta del Pò

Lido di Volano - Beaches

Spiaggia Lido di Volano

Ostellato - Castles, palaces and mansions

Delizia del Verginese

Country castle of the Estensi of Ferrara. Today the site of the Archaeological Museum of the Territory. The castle can also be reached by bicycle thanks to the cycle-tourist route from the Pieve di San Vito (year 1000) to the Roman necropolis of Voghenza.

Ostellato - Natural Areas

Vallette di Ostellato - Oasi del Parco del Delta

Wetland of natural interest organized and accessible by car, bike, on foot. Repopulation area of more than 150 different bird species, shot fishing competition field and capfishing, home of the 2011 fishing world championships.

Voghiera - Castles, palaces and mansions

Castello del Belriguardo

Codigoro - Museums

Museo Pomposiano

The Pomposiano Museum is located in what constituted the dormitory of the Monastery of Pomposa. The exhibition includes various inscriptions, stuccoes and marbles belonging to the ancient Church built between the 7th and 8th centuries.

Argenta - Museums

Museo delle Valli di Argenta

The present appearance of the Museum is the result of a series of restorations that ended in 2007. Inside there is a historical naturalistic collection, composed of objects and testimonies that document the evolution of the natural environment and the interventions of man in an area characterized by waters. The Museum is open to the public and available to all interested parties.

Argenta - Museums

Museo della Bonifica

The Museum was inaugurated in 2002, although work began in 1994. This is a reclamation process that made several changes to the surrounding area. The Museum is located in a water supply plant. The rooms are well maintained with Art Nouveau architecture and special decorative objects.

Cento - Castles, palaces and mansions

Rocca di Cento

The Rocca di Cento is one of the oldest monuments in the area. The construction of the castle dates back to 1382-1387 by the architect Antonio di Vincenzo and by the will of the bishop of Bologna. It is a defensive military structure and is surrounded by a very large and beautiful garden full of flowers and green trees. Today it represents a place of culture and entertainment.

Ferrara - Monuments

Casa di Ludovico Ariosto

At number 2 of Via Ariosto, we find a simple red-brick building. We are talking about the house that hosted the last years of the famous poet of Orlando Furioso. Inside it houses a small museum. You can admire some everyday objects belonging to Ludovico Ariosto and a fine copy of the work “Orlando Furioso” illustrated by Gustave Doré.

Ferrara - Monuments

Casa Romei

In via Savonarola we find a superb example of late medieval and Renaissance architecture. It was built during the 15th century and, over the years, it also incorporated the nearby “Convent of Corpus Christi”. It features a grand courtyard of honor and lavish halls. The main floor of the house, you can admire a beautiful apartment used by Cardinal Hippolytus II d'Este. Since 1953 it has been home to a museum.

Ferrara - Museums

Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea

The museum was inaugurated in 1998 following the donation of Manlio by Franca Malabotta, which enriches the collection of 200 works of Filippo de Pisis already owned by the museum, creating the largest public collection of the painter from Ferrara.

Ferrara - Museums

Museo Civico di Storia Naturale

In Via Filippo de Pisis, not far from the Estense Castle. It houses thousands of finds divided into the various sections dedicated to geology, paleontology and zoology and is $completed by an ecology station. The exhibition path “Environment Earth”, dedicated to environmental diversity and to the evolution of planet earth is valuable.

Ferrara - Museums

Museo Archeologico Nazionale

Housed on the main floor of Palazzo Costabili, known as “Lodovico il Moro” - in Via XX Settembre. It houses valuable findings of the highest workmanship of the Etruscan city of Spina, sets from symposium from Athenian origin. The large penthouse vases and the upper Adriatic ceramics are notable. The Sala degli Ori is splendid.

Ferrara - Museums

Museo Anatomico "G. Tumiati"

An important university museum based in Via Fossato di Mortara, 64/B, is divided into various sections dedicated to osteology, dissectory anatomy of muscles and to the human body in general. It also houses a collection of work tools including microscopes, foot drills and knives.

Ferrara - Museums

Museo dell'Illustrazione

Also known as MIL or Center for Studies on Image Reproduced, it was founded in June 1992, to safeguard, protect and preserve materials, otherwise, destined for oblivion. The museum's heritage is valuable. We remember the sketches by Mario Pompei and the terracotta casts created by Gustavino to illustrate “The Confessions of an Italian” and “The Betrothed”.

Ferrara - Museums

Museo Geo-Paleontologico

In Corso Ercole I d'Este 32. Housed at Palazzo Turchi in Bagni (already home of some university departments of Ferrara) it is dedicated to Piero Leonardi. It houses a valuable collection divided into 4 sections: Vertebrate Paleontology, Paleontology of Invertebrates, Human Paleontology and Prehistory and Historical Geology. There you can admire interesting specimens of vertebrates, skeletal remains, fossils and reconstructions.

Ferrara - Museums

Museo "G. Boldini" e Museo dell'Ottocento

In Corso Porta Mare, 9, we find two important exhibition centers in Ferrara. The Giovanni Boldini museum is dedicated to one of the greatest European portraitists of the 19th century. The Museum of the Nineteenth Century, is instead dedicated to the great protagonists of the nineteenth century and houses valuable paintings and sculptures. Currently, museums are closed.

Ferrara - Museums

Museo della Cattedrale

The museum, housed in the former Church of San Romano, displays the works of value that belonged to the Cathedral and to the churches of the Diocese; real gem are the organ doors depicting the Annunciation and St George by Cosme Tura.

Ferrara - Museums

Museo Ebraico

The Jewish Museum of Via Mazzini is located in the heart of the medieval city, near the Duomo and the Castello Estense. This road was part of the ghetto, where, from 1627 to 1859, Jews were segregated from the rest of the population.

Ferrara - Theaters

Teatro Nuovo

It is located in the historic center of Ferrara, close to Castello Estense. The buildingdates back to the '20s, and preserves the late Art Nouveau style in interior decoration.An acoustic worthy of note makes it ideal for concerts.

Ferrara - Museums

Museo del Risorgimento e della Resistenza

In Corso Ercole I D'Este. It collects and preserves precious testimonies of the Risorgimento era (which, among other things, saw protagonists, several Ferrara patriots). During the 1950s it was expanded with the section dedicated to the delicate historical period of the Resistance. You can admire collections of uniforms, weapons and flags.

Argenta - Castles, palaces and mansions

Delizia di Benvignante

Benvignante's Delight was built at the behest of the Este in the 15th century. The building is in Renaissance style and has had several owners, who in turn left their tracks on the structure, for example the coat of arms of Luigi Gulinelli above the entrance. Currently, the complex is not open to the public due to lack of renovations.

Ferrara - Parks and nature reserves

Orto botanico dell'Università di Ferrara

Housed in the gardens of Palazzo Turchi in Bagno it was founded for academic purposes in 1771 (with the name of Giardino dei Simplici). It consists of three greenhouses and hosts tropical and subtropical species. The section dedicated to rare aquatic plants and the Japanese garden are notable.

Ferrara - Theaters

Teatro Comunale di Ferrara

A selection of high quality in which the classical repertoire is joined to the contemporary world. The prevailing drama are, dance, opera, concerts, children's theater, for over 160 performances each year.

Ferrara - Museums

Palazzina di Marfisa d'Este

Beautiful historic building considered one of the most brilliant examples of stately residence of the sixteenth century. Built in 1559, during the twentieth century it was recovered and used as a museum. Inside you can admire: the Hall of Businesses (and its wonderful ceiling made by the Bastianino), the Banquet Hall (with suggestive scenes from an Amazons Battle) and the Hall of the Fireplace (dominated by a monumental-sized fireplace dating back to the 16th century).

Ferrara - Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Schifanoia

Palazzo Schifanoia, Ferrara’s most famous palace that was built in 1385 and end with a visit to the magnificent Salone dei Mesi, painted by the best. The palace has also other rooms with a collection of medieval and ancient.

Cento - Museums

Museo del Teatro "G. Borgatti"

The Giuseppe Borgatti Theatre was built in 1831 as an excellent example of the Italian theatre and is equipped with a nineteenth-century hall with stage. Thanks to it, several characters from the tradition were discovered who made Italian theater. A theatrical season takes place annually with the organization of several shows.

Cento - Museums

Pinacoteca Civica "Il Guercino"

The Civic Art Gallery of Cento is located inside the Palazzo del Monte di Pietà in the municipality of Cento. The Palace was built in 1782 and the Art Gallery was officially known in 1839. It is one of the most important in the area. Currently it houses a large collection of works by Guercino. We can mention among the artists present Marcello Provenzali and Ludovico Carracci and numerous other artists of the past centuries. All the furniture in the room is very nice and embellished with furniture from the period in question. Admission to the art gallery is free for all art lovers.

Ferrara - Museums

Museo di Architettura - Casa di Biagio Rossetti

In Via XX Settembre. It's also called MUSARC. What was the residence of the great Ferrara architect Biagio Rossetti (he owes the particular urban planning structure of the Emilian city) has recently been transformed into the first Italian museum dedicated architecture (as well as its developments and its problems).

Ferrara - Museums

Centro di Documentazione del Mondo Agricolo Ferrarese

The Ferrarese Agricultural Documentation Center was opened in 1981, is located in San Bartolomeo. It is a museum that tells the history and traditions of the rural civilization of Ferrara. In the building we find two other facilities such as the medical and handicraft clinic as well as domestic environments.

Ferrara - Museums

Lapidario Civico

It is located in the now deconsecrated church of Santa Libera (in Via Campo Sabbionario) and houses finds (in particular epigraphs, stems and sarcophagi) from Roman times found on the territory of Ferrara. Remarkable is the stele of the first century BC with the effiges of the Cesians and the sarcophagi (from the 3rd century BC) belonging to Annia Faustina and to the little Neon.

Cento - Castles, palaces and mansions

Castello della Giovannina

The Castle of Giovannina was built in 1504.. Inside the Castle still preserves beautiful frescoes today. The frescoes illustrate famous poems such as the Orlando Furioso, the Liberated Jerusalem, the Aeneid, the Pastor Fido and the Abducted Secchia. Today it is used as a municipal residence and is given as a concession to a catering company for the organization of events, such as weddings and conferences.

Ferrara - Historic Centres

Addizione Erculea

The Herculean Addition, a beautiful work of Italian medieval architecture , is composed of many Buildings: Prosperi - Sacrati and Turks of Bath, and it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is worth a look!

Ferrara - Historic Centres

Centro Storico di Ferrara

An exceptionally well-preserved medieval town in the heart of the city of Ferrara. There are beautiful and characteristic monuments, palaces, churches and historic streets worth a visit!

Ferrara - Castles, palaces and mansions

Castello Estense

The beautiful Castello Estense, built in brick and surrounded by a characteristic moat, which makes it typically medieval, is a true work of architectural art that is worth visiting.

Ferrara - Churches and places of worship

Cattedrale di San Giorgio

The magnificent Cathedral of San Giorgio in Ferrara, Emilia Romagna, was erected by the will of William of Adelard and consecrated to the saint of the same name in 1135. Definitely worth a visit.

Ferrara - Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo della Ragione

This elegant mansion in Gothic style, built between the years 1315 and 1326, was rebuilt after the fire that almost destroyed it after the Second World War. Today, despite all, is back with its splendor .

Ferrara - Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Paradiso

The beautiful Palazzo Paradiso, built in 1391, is an important symbol of the city Ferrara, inside it houses the Ariostea Public Library, where you can find beautiful works by Ludovico Ariosto.

Ferrara - Castles, palaces and mansions

Università di Ferrara

The city of Ferrara, in Emilia Romagna, was an important university and Italian humanist centre. In this ancient university, in 1391, graduated famous people in world history, including: Nicholas Copernicus and Paracelsus.

Ferrara - Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo dei Diamanti

A beautiful building, a whole construction in marble, very beautiful and special, shaped as a diamond point. Inside you will find the unique National Art Gallery in Ferrara, which contains works of great value. Worth visiting!

Ferrara - Walls, towers and gates

Le Mura di Ferrara

In the Middle Ages the building of walls surrounded by a moat was common, and those of Ferrara, are no exception; they are almost 9 km long and of preserved features , the walls of Ferrara, are absolutely worth seeing!

Ferrara - Museums

Museo di Storia Naturale

The interesting Museum of Natural History, built between the years 1935 and 1937, contains rich collections of zoology, of Geopaleontology and mineralogy (with many Brazilian stones) that are worth to be seen.

Lido Degli Estensi - Beaches

Lido degli Estensi

Ferrara - Walls, towers and gates

Porta degli Angeli

In the northern part of Ferrara, along the walls, you can admire this valuable monument built at the beginning of the sixteenth century, as part of the urban planning project known as “Herculean Addition”. Restored and recovered in the course of the 1980s, it looks like a rectangular tower, completed by a small house, slightly lower (which once housed the guard body), It is the only door in the city can also be visited internally.

Cento - Walls, towers and gates

Torre dell' Orologio

The building was built as a Clock Tower in 1548 by the architect Francesco Gilardini. The tower has a marble dome.

Cento - Walls, towers and gates

Porta Pieve

Porta Pieve is located in Cento. In the past there were four doors: Porta Pieve, Porta del Griglio or Porta della Rocca, Porta Molina and Porta Chiusa. Today, only the Porta Pieve is present. It is a tower of fourteenth-century architecture. Today, the sides of the door are clearly visible.

Codigoro - Walls, towers and gates

Torre della Finanza

The Finance Tower was built at the beginning of the '700. In the past, the building had the function of controlling commercial traffic, and consists of a square base structure resting in barrels. In recent years, the structure has undergone restoration work.

Ferrara - Castles, palaces and mansions

Delizia di Fossadalbero

Great palace wanted by Niccolo III and built in the first half of the fifteenth century. Transformed into 'delight' (i.e. place to rest and enjoy) by Borso d'Este, it looks like a crenellated castle with outposts and rivellins. It has 44 rooms (tastefully furnished and decorated), a chapel and a beautiful garden. Legend has it that this' Delight 'was the setting for the illicit and unfortunate love between Hugo (son of Niccolo III) and the Parisina.

Ferrara - Walls, towers and gates

Torre dell'uccellino

In the nearby town of Poggio Renatico, we find one of the most famous towers in Emilia. Also called Usolino, it was built, for defensive purposes, during the 13th century. In exposed terracotta it has a rather massive size, a battlements according to the Guelph use and a tapering in the middle part.

Ferrara - Churches and places of worship

Oratorio dell'Annunziata

Beautiful little church located in Via Borgo di Sotto, formerly called the Church of the Good Death, has a simple, but beautiful sixteenth-century façade attributed to Giovan Battista Aleotti. It is famous for hosting a superb cycle of frescoes (entitled History of the True Cross) made around 1550 by Camillo Filippi, Sebastiano Filippi known as Bastianino, Niccolò Roselli and Giovanni Francesco Surchi (called Dielai).

Ostellato - Archaeological Sites

Necropoli Romana di Voghenza

Always open to the public, of the imperial age, are visible two burial fences, crate tombs covered by stone slabs of Verona, a sarcophagus. The burials date back to the I-III centuries AD.

Ostellato - Churches and places of worship

Pieve romanica di San Vito

The church was built in 1027. It is made up of a lot of material for reuse of Roman buildings that would ascertain its construction over some pre-existing pagan temple. In this church we still have two pagan altars today.

Ostellato - Viewpoints

Percorso Cicloturistico

A single cycle-tourist route that connects La Pieve di San Vito, the Valleys of Ostellato, the largest barn in Europe, to the delight of the Virgin, the delight of belriguardo and the Roman necropolis of Voghera.

Ferrara - Streets and Squares

Corso Ercole I° d'Este

Corso Ercole I d'Este is a historic route of Ferrara among the most important in the city and the oldest in Europe.Desired by the Duke of Ferrara Ercole I d'Este and commissioned to Biagio Rossetti, started in 1492 and finished in 1510

Ferrara - Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Municipale

The palace was the first residence of the Este family.