Ferrara

Panoramic view of Ferrara

Ancient medieval street in Ferrara

Via Giuseppe Mazzini in Ferrara, covered with colored umbrellas

Ferrara is a city in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. The town has broad streets and numerous palaces dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, when it hosted the court of the House of Este. For its beauty and cultural importance it has been qualified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The town is still surrounded by more than 9 kilometres (6 miles) of ancient walls, mainly built in the 15th and 16th-centuries. Along with those of Lucca, they are the best preserved Renaissance walls in Italy. The imposing brick Castello Estense sited in the very centre of the town is iconic of Ferrara. The castle, erected in 1385, is surrounded by a moat, with four massive bastions. The pavilions on the top of the towers date from the 16th-century refurbishment.

Emilia Romagna Highlights

Culture

Bologna Revives a Local Icon With Reopening of the Cinema Modernissimo

Bologna’s Art Nouveau-accented cinema has reopened after a nearly two-decade closure, with updated programming made to pull streaming-era spectators off their couches and back to the movies.

Italy in Brief

These are the Top Two Restaurants in Italy, According to Gambero Rosso

Chefs Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana) and Niko Romito (Reale) are tied for the top spot in the new 2024 guide from leading Italian food and wine publisher, Gambero Rosso.

Food & Drink

Gelato making course at Gelato University

Does the World’s Only Gelato University Offer the Coolest Diploma in Italy?

Now in its 20th year, Bologna’s Gelato University is a serious institution where there’s no room for flakes — only cone artists.

Culture

The Department of Humanities at the University of Catania

5 of the Most Interesting University Libraries in Italy

Italy has many academic libraries with seriously deep shelves — not to mention gorgeous architectural details — where committed scholars hit the books. Here are a few that you can visit.

Travel

Getting to Know Bologna in 5 Streets

Beyond the main sites, Bologna has areas largely unknown to visitors. Like the shifting light beneath the city’s famed porticoes, each of these areas casts a new perspective on this lively city.

What you can't miss in Emilia Romagna

Where is Ferrara

Top Experiences in Emilia Romagna

Centuries of Excellence: Savor the legacy with a visit and tasting at one of Italy's most ancient wineries

Experience

Luxury Vines, Velocity & Velvety flavors: A journey through Italy’s Finest Wines Ferrari thrills and Northern delicacies 8 Nights/9 days

Barolo, Polesine Parmense, Radda in Chianti

Tours

7-day Authentic Cultural, Culinary, Ancestry, Wellness and Active Tours in Abruzzo, Puglia & Sicily with Italia Sweet Italia

Abruzzo, Puglia, Emilia Romagna, Sicily

Walking Tours, Tour Operator, Tours

Hedonistic Hiking - Fully-inclusive guided gourmet walking holidays across Italy

Tuscany, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Basilicata, Sardinia

Food & Wine

Food, Culture and Wellness in the Hidden Emilia Romagna with Italia Sweet Italia

Emilia Romagna

Best places to stay in Emilia Romagna

Bed and Breakfast

Ca' Bevilacqua B&B

Forli Province, Bertinoro

Hotel

Grand Hotel Majestic (formerly “Baglioni”)

Bologna

Hotel

Art Hotel Commercianti

Bologna

Properties for sale in Emilia Romagna

Apartment in Sant'Ilario d'Enza

215000

Recipes From Emilia Romagna

Recipes

Maccheroni alla Bobbiese: Knitting Needle Pasta of Emilia-Romagna

You don’t need fancy pasta-making equipment to create this specialty shape from the small town of Bobbio in the Piacenza province of Emilia-Romagna — but you do need a knitting needle.

Recipes

image of sliced cantaloupe cake on a green and white checked tablecloth

A Very Tempting Torta di Melone

Speckled with pretty orange bits of cantaloupe, this cake is as lovely as it is luscious.

Recipes

Honey Walnut Chocolate Glazed Pie

This honey walnut pie is a specialty of Emilia-Romagna, especially Modena, and is traditionally served during festive times.

Recipes

Panpepato: Chocolate Covered Spiced Fruit Cake

Two specialties of Italy, panforte (“strong bread”) and its predecessor panpepato (“peppered bread”), are not breads at all, but closer to fruitcakes featuring many spices.

Recipes

Tagliatelle with meat ragu, pea puree and black sesame crisps

It’s hard to imagine an improvement on Emilia-Romagna’s classic meat sauce, but Chef Igor Morini adds several inspirations to this traditional dish.

What others are saying about Emilia Romagna

@anna.siyanova asks:

Ciao a tutti

Might anyone have a flat/house a family of three-four could rent between 1 Sept-30 Nov 2023 in Modena? I’m a researcher on sabbatical visiting from New Zealand. Options like Airbnb and Stayz are ridiculously expensive for such a long period.

Grazie mille,

See the answer

@She57 asks:

Holiday Rental

We have residency in Italy and are thinking of renting out our property in Emilia-Romagna through Airbnb and have a few questions which we hope someone may be able to help us with:-

1. How easy is the registration process through the SCIA?

See the answer

@Jess-Taylor asks:

Has anybody had problems caused by common reporting standards (CRS)?

See the answer