Complete with moat and drawbridge, Ferrara's towering castle was commissioned by Nicolò II d'Este in 1385. Initially it was intended to protect him and…
Must see attractions in Ferrara
- Top ChoiceCastello Estense
- MTop ChoiceMuseo Nazionale dell'Ebraismo Italiano e della Shoah
Born by an Italian Parliamentary decree to create a National Holocaust Museum, the National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah partially opened in…
- MTop ChoiceMuseo Archeologico Nazionale
Housed within what is arguably Ferrara's most beautifully preserved palace – the 1505 Palazzo Costabili – the city's national archaeological museum is…
- PTop ChoicePalazzo Schifanoia
Dating to 1385, the Este's 14th-century pleasure palace suffered significant earthquake damage in May 2012 and the museum will be shuttered until 2020 for…
- PTop ChoicePalazzo dei Diamanti
Named after the spiky diamond-shaped ashlar stones on its facade, the late-15th-century 'diamond palace' was built for Sigismondo d'Este. It houses…
- CCertosa di Ferrara
Ferrara's monumental cemetery, designed by Borso d’Este in 1461, is an off-the-beaten path gem in Ferrara. Two snaking, semi-circlular arcades frame the…
- PPinacoteca Nazionale
Ferrara's art gallery, housed on the 1st floor of the late-15th-century Palazzo dei Diamanti, is the perfect spot to contemplate the genius of the 16th-…
- CCity Walls
Only Lucca in Tuscany can claim a more complete set of walls than Ferrara, though with a total circumference of 9km, Ferrara's are longer and among the…
- DDuomo
The outstanding feature of the pink-and-white 12th-century cathedral is its three-tiered marble facade combining Romanesque and Gothic styles on the lower…
- CCasa Romei
This palace was once owned by Giovanni Romei, a top administrator to the Este clan – and his importance shows in the architecture. The austere brick…
- SSpazio Espositivo
Tucked away on the ground floor of Ferrara's Palazzo dei Diamanti, this museum houses high-profile special exhibits.
- PPalazzo Municipale
Linked to the castle by an elevated passageway, the 13th-century crenellated Palazzo Municipale was the Este family home until they moved next door to the…
- MMuseo Lapidario
Your ticket to Palazzo Schifanoia also gives entry to this nearby museum, which has a small, undocumented collection of Roman and Etruscan stele, tombs…
- MMuseo della Cattedrale
This museum houses various artefacts from Ferrara's duomo, including a serene Madonna by Jacopo della Quercia, a couple of vigorous Cosimo Tura canvases,…
- MMuseo del Risorgimento e della Resistenza
Next door to Pinacoteca Nazionale, this small museum exhibits documents, proclamations and posters from the Italian unification movement and WWII, as well…
- PPalazzo Massari
This early Renaissance palace houses three museums: the Museo Giovanni Boldini, dedicated solely to Ferrara-born Giovanni Boldini; the Museo dell…
- MMuseo Giovanni Boldini
Established in 1938, this museum – closed through to 2023 for restoration after suffering earthquake damage in 2012 – is home to the most important…
- MMuseo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Filippo de Pisis
While normally housing an extensive collection of works by native Ferrara painter and poet Filippo de Pisis (as well as a collection of paintings and…
- MMuseo dell'Ottocento
Normally housing an impressive collection of 19th-century religious, literary and historical art, this museum will be closed through to 2023 for…