A guide to the capital of the Italian Renassaince, Ferrara
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| Via delle Volte, typical street in downtown. Photo courtesy of Panoramio.com |
The sound of
silence of a small, hundreds years of age, street, where you can barely see the
end, surrounded by ancient palaces that make you feel like you stepped outside
of the XXI century for a second. Bikes, a lot of them parked somehow on the
side. Feet are probably aching after the long walk on the cobblestones. This is
Ferrara, the city where I was born and grew up. A small city in northern Italy,
tourists often skip it to visit bigger and more famous cities nearby, like
Venice and Bologna. Many people place it “in the middle of nowhere”, but I
think it has a lot to offer to people who are willing to explore a different
side of the boot.
City of bicycles
Last city
that the Po River (the longest in Italy) touches before projecting into the
Adriatic Sea, the walled city of Ferrara lies in between Bologna (with whom
there is an intense rivalry) and Venice. It’s probably for this reason that
many tourists, short of time, don’t stop here (Dunant). Although its name,
Ferraris are not produced here; we rather ride on our beautiful bicycles and,
trust me, sometimes they can go pretty fast, depending on how late you are. There
are three things I wouldn’t want to skip in your visit:
- The castle
- Palazzo dei Diamanti
- The Cathedral
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| The castle at night. Photo courtesy of castelloestense.it |
Castle
It’s
probably the iconic symbol of this city. Built at the end of the XIV century to
defend the House of Este, reigning family at that time, this moated castle is a
large block of four towers. At the inside there are many rooms which attract
tourists on a daily basis. Among the most popular we have the dungeons, the
kitchens and the Lion Tower. On the outside tourists can enjoy the Garden of
the Oranges. A terrace with a panoramic view of the main street in downtown
Ferrara used to host a small greenhouse back in Middle Age. Today the atmosphere
is accompanied by Orange trees, which name this place. In this building lived
many famous authors of the Italian literature; they would get paid just to
write and glorify the house of the Este, and their works of art were published
and then sent to different families in Europe. The most famous author is
Ludovico Ariosto. Outside the castle starts one of the longest streets in
Europe, Corso Ercole I d’Este. Constructed in 1492 under the Erculean addition,
it is one of the main axes of the massive expansion plan that aimed to make the
city of the most important places in Europe. This street stretches for more
than a mile, but it’s halfway through where many people stop (Unesco).
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| Palazzo dei Diamanti Photo courtesy of Commons Wikimedia |
Palazzo dei Diamanti
It’s here
where many people are struck by this weird palace. The exterior facade is made
up by over 8500 pink marble blocks, each one carved in a diamond shape - naming
the palace (Diamanti means diamonds) (The Italian ways). The legend says that
underneath one of those blocks there’s hidden an actual diamond. Many people
tried to verify it and broke some of the points, but unfortunately for them
they found nothing but trouble. I can’t say whether this is truth or just a
myth, but I would stay on the safe side and just admire the beauty. It hosts
every year art shows, with paintings of famous artists like Picasso, Matisse,
and Degas.
The Cathedral
Not far from
the Castle is the Cathedral. Built at the end of XII century, it is dedicated
to Saint George, the Saint Patron of the city. The exterior is in marble and
the facade is decorated with loggias, small arcades and rose
windows, statues
and numerous bas-reliefs. The interior is much more modern - relatively
speaking - and was remade after a fire in the XVII century and it follows a
Baroque style. It has a nave and two aisles. The chapels are painted with
scenes from the Bible. On the side the market square is still as vibrant as it
was in the past; there are even shops built into its side, where tourists (and
locals) can find and taste delicious local products
Food
You may
wonder what to eat after a tour in this beautiful place. Of course you can
easily get “classic” Italian food, like pizza or pasta, but there’s something
else really traditional that’s worth giving a try. If you want to eat something
traditional, I suggest you get one, or all, if you’re really hungry, of these
dishes:
- Stuffed pasta
- Salama da sugo
- Desserts
Pasta
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| Salama da sugo Photo courtesy of bloggiallozafferano.it |
Salama
da sugo
Together
with cappelletti the typical Salama da sugo is served during the lunch. It
consists of a salami made of different meats, spice and a little of wine. There
are two different types. One is long and it’s served cut like a regular salami,
the other one is eaten with a spoon and it’s spherical. They’re both boiled for
a long time, from four to six hours. It’s served with mashed potatoes and is
accompanied by red wine. If you go to a restaurant, they will probably serve
you a coppia of bread, a type of sourdough bread with a twisted shape (Accademia
Barilla).
Desserts
The menu for
desserts could be really long, especially because many desserts were brought and
modified from nearby cities. Here I selected two traditional recipes from
Ferrara.
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| Pampepato Photo courtesy of lanuovaferrara.it |
Next time you visit the boot I would suggest to
explore more country side places. They are definitely less crowded and can
offer a better experience and a real taste of Italy.
References:
- Accademia Barilla. The Italian food academy http://www.academiabarilla.com/the-italian-food-academy/meats-charcuterie/salama-sugo-ferrarese.aspx
- Dunant, Sarah. “As fabulous as Florence – and not a coach party in
sight” The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/jun/28/florence-italy-medieval-convents-holiday
- The Italian Ways. “The Brilliant Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara” http://www.italianways.com/the-brilliant-palazzo-dei-diamanti-in-ferrara/
- Unesco Website http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/733
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