Ferrara: Renaissance, Palaces and Museums
Accommodation in Ferrara
Ferrara: The Renaissance as Urban Structure
Ferrara combines a historic old town with an urban landscape that makes the Renaissance particularly vivid. The old town is considered an outstanding example of urban planning from this era. At the same time, the urban developments of the Renaissance in Ferrara had a major influence on the city’s design and planned heritage protection in the following centuries.
File:Piazza Trento e Trieste - Ex Palazzo della Ragione, Torre Della Vittoria and Cathedral of Ferrara. Ferrara, Italy.jpg
Photo: Ввласенко via Source, CC BY-SA 3.0
The surrounding landscape also preserves traces of this development: the former courses of the Po di Ferrara, Primaro, Volàno and Sandalo branches of the Po, which are associated with Ferrara’s Renaissance elements, are still clearly visible today. Architecture, urban history and historic waterways thus come together in a destination with a closely connected thematic focus.
Palaces, Churches and Museums
At Palazzo Schifanoia, the Salone dei Mesi forms the centrepiece; it is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of the European Renaissance. Casa Ariosto preserves the atmosphere of the Renaissance and houses a small museum dedicated to the poet. In the Piano Nobile, you can see a historically evocative reconstruction with memorabilia and valuable editions of his works.
The church of San Cristoforo alla Certosa was built from 1498 onwards on the orders of Ercole I d’Este. It is considered one of the most original Renaissance works in Ferrara and is attributed to Biagio Rossetti. Sant'Antonio in Polesine was Ferrara’s first convent for women. It was founded to accommodate Beatrice d’Este, the daughter of Marquess Azzo VII d’Este, as well as other young women who wished to follow the Benedictine rule.
At the Museo della Cattedrale, visitors can trace the history of Ferrara’s basilica, founded around 1135, through numerous works. The Teatro Comunale was built between 1773 and 1797 according to designs by Antonio Foschini and Cosimo Morelli and opened in 1798.
Residence, Collections and Jewish History
Castello Estense was initially built as a defensive and military complex. Later, after the Addizione Erculea, it became the residence of the Este family and a ducal residence. Four towers and a wide moat characterise the complex. The building thus represents both Ferrara’s military past and its later importance as a courtly centre.
Palazzo Schifanoia is an outstanding testament to the Renaissance and a symbol of the Este period in Ferrara. Palazzo dei Diamanti was built from 1493 onwards according to a design by the architect and urban planner Biagio Rossetti. Today, it houses the Pinacoteca Civica and exhibitions by Ferrara Arte.
The Museo Nazionale dell’Ebraismo Italiano e della Shoah, or MEIS for short, tells the two-thousand-year history of Jewish life in Italy. The exhibition “Ebrei, una storia italiana” traces the development of Italian Judaism from Roman times through the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
Traditions and Getting There
The Palio di Ferrara dates back to 1259. Eight Contrade compete against one another in races while wearing Renaissance costumes. Here, the city’s historical past takes the form of a tradition expressed through a clearly defined competition and festival format.
For travelling to Ferrara, the railway station is an important point of reference: it is connected to Italy’s main cities. This makes it possible to combine the choice of a hotel with a culture-oriented travel plan focused on historic buildings, museums and urban history.
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