A Relaxing Weekend in Ferrara

Alessandro, my husband, had been suggesting for a while that we go to Ferrara. He had never been there and was curious about this UNESCO World Heritage city, so we decided to pop over to celebrate our birthdays.

Considering the time of year we wanted to keep costs down, so we did a little research online and found a great package at the Hotel Lucrezia Borgia — not very close to the centre but with a handy car park right in front, and they offered a dinner. They also gave the option of hiring bicycles free of charge to get around the city.

Ferrara is a really lovely city; it's nice to see bicycles around the streets of the historic centre. As soon as we arrived we were hungry, so we decided to go into the centre, but on foot, to stretch our legs a bit. Right after eating a sandwich we began our tour: a visit to the cathedral, the Castello Estense and the Certosa, where you can find a garden to rest in.

On the first evening we decided not to use the hotel dinner because we still had plenty of energy and a desire to see the city, so we took the car and, without difficulty, found parking at the edge of the pedestrian area. Quite a few restaurants had their tables full; we booked a table. In the evening the restaurants we had "selected" were fully booked, but one of them advised us to book a table and come back later; we took the chance to wander a bit more, this time enjoying the evening lights and illuminations. Of course, for dinner we couldn't miss trying the famous cappellacci with pumpkin.

On the second day we went to Comacchio; famous for its canals and called "little Venice", we wandered through its little streets and small canals. It was really fun. In the evening we were exhausted and luckily dinner had been booked at the hotel. A shame the weekend flew by, but we came home satisfied.

If you'd like to see all the photos from this itinerary, they've been published on the site