Situated on the banks of the River Po, the medieval town of Ferrara was declared a World Heritage Site in 1995. Elegant and stately, Ferrara was run by the powerful, yet somewhat tyrannical Este family in the 13th-century, who created one of the brightest, culturally vibrant cities of the Renaissance, with its own fine school of art. Make sure you visit the Palazzo dei Diamanti, the Renaissance palace which houses the National Art Gallery. Spend a romantic weekend exploring its streets, Renaissance palazzi, delectable trattoria and tiny shops.
Where to stay in Ferrara
DUCHESSA ISABELLA
Via Palestro 70 (00 39 0532 2021 21; fax: 202 638; www.duchessaisabella.it). This is the most sumptuous of the town's five-star hotels, all chandeliers and gilt-framed mirrors. It also has one of those secret Ferrarese gardens, where breakfast is served in summer, as well as its own horse-drawn landau. ££
LOCANDA DELLA DUCHESSINA
Vicolo del Voltino 11 (00 39 0532 206 981; fax: 202 638). Around the corner from Duchessa Isabella, this three-star is the Duchessa's cut-price younger sister: its five rooms have been done over (some might say overdone) in flouncy English country-house style, and there is a small, oleander-shaded garden out back. £
LOCANDA BORGONUOVO
Cairoli 29 (00 39 0532 211 100; fax: 246 328; www.borgonuovo.com). At the budget end of the market, is a real find: a friendly B&B a couple of minutes’ walk from the Castello Estense. The bright, functional rooms are stocked with information about events and exhibitions, and the hotel's bicycles are free to guests. £
PRISCIANI ARTSUITE
Via Garibaldi 70; 00 39 0532 201 111; fax: 203 233; www.prisciani.com). For longer stays, or for large groups, the newly opened Prisciani ArtSuite offers six roomy apartments in a 15th-century palazzo that belonged to Pellegrino Prisciani, librarian, urban planner and counsellor to Duke Ercole I. Inside, wooden beams and fragments of original frescoes play off against a rather anonymous modern design. £
Where to eat out in Ferrara
ANTICA TRATTORIA VOLCANO
Via Volano 20 (00 39 0532 761 421). For an authentic Ferrarese meal, the kind you should fast for 24 hours before attempting, head here, on the banks of the city's sadly reduced branch of the Po, just outside the Porta Reno gate. In three simple, rustic rooms this trattoria serves up classics such as cappellaci di zucca (pumpkin-filled pasta parcels), pappardelle al somarino (flat pasta strips with donkey meat sauce), and stockfish with polenta. Closed on Friday.
QUEL FANTASTICO GIOVEDI
Via Castelnuovo 9 (00 39 0532 760 570). Translating as 'That Fantastic Thursday', this two-room hideaway with updated bistrot décor is currently the most creative restaurant in town and one of the best-value in Italy. Chef Marco Janotta is imbued in the Ferrarese tradition, but he goes well beyond it with dishes such as curried carnaroli risotto with prawn tails, anglerfish and baby spinach. Wine is well priced and well served, and the menu even tells what music you'll be listening to that evening. Chances are it will be jazz.
L'OCA GIULIVA
Via Boccacanale di Santo Stefano 38 (00 39 0532 207 628). Brick arches and white walls serve as a backdrop for Gianni Taroni's cuisine, which covers local classics such as pasticcio di maccheroni tartufato (a 15th-century dish with pasta, meat, truffles and puff pastry) to more personal creations such as tagliolini with garlic and turnip-head sauce, served with grey mullet bottarga. Closed Monday and Tuesday lunch.
THE LOCANDA DELLA TAMERICE
Via Argine Mezzano 2, località Le Vallette, Ostellato (00 39 0533 681 811). Located in the wetland nature reserve of Valli di Ostellato, the Locanda della Tamerice fully merits its culinary pilgrimage status. Although its interior's full use of the colour palette will not be to everyone's taste, chef Igles Corelli takes risks with combinations and presentation, but not with the freshness and quality of his locally sourced ingredients (eel, pheasant, duck, carnaroli rice, pulses and vegetables). The Locanda also has four spacious and modern rooms for those who can't face the drive back to Ferrara, or who want to explore the watery delights of the nature reserve, which lies just outside the front door. Closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
What to see in Ferrara
JEWISH MUSEUM
Via Mazzini. Since 1485 this has been the focus of Jewish life in Ferrara, and it was purchased by a rich financier from Rome employed at the Estensi court, who left it in his will 'forever for the common use of the Jews.' The Cimitero Israelitico, along the walls by Via Porta Mare, was founded in the 17th-century and is one of the prettiest spots in the city.
CASTELLO ESTENSE
This is the d'Este seat of power, a solid, brick castle. It was begun in 1385 by Nicolo II after a revolt, but later the Este transformed it into their chief residence. A few decorated rooms survive: the Salone and Saletta dei Giochi (the games room) and the fine Sala dell'Aurora (the dukes' bedroom) and Camerina dei Baccanali are the most interesting. A tour will include Renée's Calvinist chapel, the dungeon where Ugo and Parisina languished before their beheading and the prison where Giulio and Ferrante, brothers of Alfonso I, spent their lives after attempting a coup. Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9.30am to 5pm.
PALAZZO DEI DIAMANTI
Situated in the centre of the Addition, the Palazzo takes its name from the 8,500 pointed, diamond-shaped stones that stud the façade, diamonds being the emblem of the Este. It houses the Pinacoteca Nazionale, a fine collection by the Ferrara school - Tura, Cossa, Costa, Roberti, Garofalo and Dossi, and detached frescoes from churches and palaces. Open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 2pm.
MUSEO DELLA CATTEDRALE
This houses the best art in the town, including the marble Madonna of the Pomegranate by Jacopo della Quercia. Open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am to 12pm and from 3pm to 5pm.
PALAZZO SCHIFANOIA
Via Scandiana 23. Built in 1385, Ferrara's most famous palace translates as 'disgust with boredom', but it would be hard to be bored by the delightful Salone dei Mesi, painted for Broso d'Este by Ferrara's finest, including Cosme Tura, Ercole de' Roberti and Francesco de Cossa. The palace has several other rooms with beautiful ceilings and houses an eclectic collection of medieval art and ancient art. Open daily from 7am to 7pm.
How to get to Ferrara
AIRPORT
The nearest international airport is at Bologna.
AIRLINES FROM THE UK
EasyJet (08717 500 100; www.easyjet.com) flies daily from Stansted airport to Bologna. British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com) flies three times daily (twice on Saturdays) from Gatwick airport to Bologna; it also flies daily from Manchester in summer (three times weekly on winter). Alitalia (0870 544 8259; www.alitalia.co.uk) flies daily from Heathrow via Rome or Milan. From Bologna airport take a taxi or bus to the railway station; Ferrara is a half-hour train journey.