Ferrara is one of my favourite cities in northern Italy, although its buildings and churches are less outstanding compared to other cities such as Verona and Vicenza. The plan of the city and most of the historic buildings date from the 14th and 15th Century, when Ferrara was ruled by the Este family. The historic centre is dominated by the Castello Estense and the Gothic cathedral. The Castello has everything you'd expect from a medieval castle: drawbridges, a moat, towers, a dungeon. But the upper parts were reconstructed in the 16th Century, the battlements were replaced with terraces and balconies. Worth seeing are also the Palazzo dei Diamanti with its exceptional facade of pyramid-shaped blocks of marble (the interior picture gallery is not very interesting), the nearby Palazzo Prosperi with an portico decorated with putti (photo), the Palazzina Marfina d'Este, the Casa Romei, the Palazzo Schifanoia (wonderful frescoes in the Sala dei Mesi), the Via delle Volte, the outside staircase of the Palazzo Municipale, and the Cimitero della Certosa.

We liked best to ride by bike on the city wall that surrounds the whole historic centre and so we explored also the remote parts of the old city. Ferrara is known as a city of cyclists and bicycles are available in most hotels. Ferrara is a university town, and therefore has also a good night-life. If the weather is fine a trip to the Po Delta is worthwhile, especially if you like birdwatching. The best is to rent a bicycle and cycle along the marshlands and lagoons. The WHS includes also several Delizie (villas of the Este family) in the area around Ferrara. But they are hardly worth a visit, most of them can be seen only from the outside or are not accessible at all.