What to see in Ferrara in 2 days: itinerary through the Este Castle and Renaissance walls

Why visit Ferrara in 2 days

Ferrara is the Renaissance city frozen in time. A UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historic centre and the Po Delta, it was the capital of the Este duchy, one of the most refined courts in Europe. Today it is a quiet, cycle-friendly city where intact Renaissance walls encircle a perfectly preserved medieval centre. Two days let you discover its slow, deep charm.

Day 1: the medieval centre and the Castle

Morning (3-4 hours)

Start at the Este Castle, Ferrara's symbol. Surrounded by a water-filled moat, it is the only medieval castle in Europe still at the centre of city life. Visit the dungeons where Ugo and Parisina languished (the tragic love story told by Byron), the frescoed halls and the Tower of the Lions for the city panorama.

From Corso Ercole I d'Este, considered by many historians the most beautiful Renaissance street in Italy, reach the Palazzo dei Diamanti: the facade with 8,500 diamond-point marble bosses is unique in the world. Today it hosts top-tier temporary exhibitions and the National Gallery.

• Este Castle: 1.5 hours
• Corso Ercole I d'Este: 20 minutes (stroll)
• Palazzo dei Diamanti: 1 hour

Afternoon (3 hours)

Visit the Cathedral of San Giorgio, with its extraordinary three-tiered Romanesque-Gothic loggia facade. The Cathedral Museum, in the former church of San Romano, holds the Months panels by the Master of the Months (12th century) and Jacopo della Quercia's Madonna of the Pomegranate.

Walk along Via delle Volte, Ferrara's most evocative medieval street: a tunnel of aerial arches linking merchants' houses to their warehouses on the Po. Almost a kilometre long, it is one of Italy's best-preserved medieval routes.

Hidden gem: the Monastery of Sant'Antonio in Polesine, where Benedictine nuns guard Giotto-school 14th-century frescoes in three chapels. Visit by ringing the bell: the nuns open with great kindness.

Evening

Dinner in the medieval quarter. Try cappellacci di zucca (Ferrara's signature dish), pasticcio di maccheroni (sweet-savoury pasta in a crust) and salama da sugo with mashed potato. Wine: Fortana del Bosco Eliceo, unique and rare.

Day 2: walls, ghetto and the Herculean Addition

Morning (3 hours)

Rent a bicycle and ride the Walls of Ferrara, 9 kilometres of intact Renaissance ramparts encircling the entire historic centre. The route among centuries-old trees and meadows is one of the most beautiful in Italy for a morning ride (1-1.5 hours). Stop at the Porta degli Angeli and the Baluardo dell'Amore for the best views.

Back in the centre, explore the Jewish quarter, the ghetto where the community lived from 1627 to 1859. Via Mazzini, Via Vignatagliata and Via Vittoria retain the original townhouses. The MEIS (National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah) tells 2,000 years of Jewish presence in Italy through a moving exhibition.

• Wall circuit by bicycle: 1-1.5 hours
• Jewish quarter: 30 minutes
• MEIS: 1 hour

Afternoon (3 hours)

Visit Palazzo Schifanoia, the Este family's leisure residence. The Hall of the Months holds Italy's most complex cycle of Renaissance frescoes: 12 scenes with astrological allegories, pagan deities and court life painted by Cosme Tura, Francesco del Cossa and Ercole de' Roberti.

Then reach the Palazzina Marfisa d'Este, a villa with garden and loggia where you can feel the intimacy of Este court life. Few tourists visit.

Hidden gem: the Jewish Cemetery on Via delle Vigne, one of Europe's oldest (from the 15th century), set among trees. Request access through the MEIS.

Evening

Last evening in Ferrara. Aperitivo in Piazza Trento Trieste, where the Municipal Palace (former Este residence) faces the illuminated cathedral. Dinner with cappellacci and a slice of torta tenerina, the Ferrara chocolate cake that melts in your mouth.

Practical tips

Ferrara is the city of bicycles: rent one at the station (5 euro per day) and move like the locals. The centre is entirely flat. The MyFE Card (10 euro) covers the main museums. From Bologna it is 30 minutes by train. Free parking outside the walls.

• Where to stay in Ferrara
• Where to eat in Ferrara
• How to get to Ferrara