Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bike Like a Ferrarese
To get around like a true Ferrarese—especially for that Sunday tool along the park
that rings the city atop its massive walls—you need a bike. Several of the recom-
mended hotels provide free bikes (Borgonuovo, Europa) or cheap rentals (San
Paolo). Otherwise, you can
rent a set of wheels
just outside the train station
from
Pirani e Bagni
(Piazzale Stazione, 2;
%
0532-772190).
In the center, rent
just west of Piazza Castello from
Romanelli
(Via della Luna, 10, at Via Frizzi;
%
0532-206017; www.ferraracicli.it).
At the town's main southern gate, Porta
Paula, east of the bus station are two outfits:
Ceragioli
(Piazza Travaglio, 4;
%
339-4056853)
and
Itinerando
(Via Kennedy, 2;
%
0532-202003; www.
itinerando.it).
Rates tend to be the same at all:
€
2 to
€
2.50 per hour,
€
5 to
€
5.50 for 2 hours,
€
9 to
€
9.50 for 3 hours, and
€
10 to
€
11 per day.
steps to invigorate the place—in 2004, they added air-conditioning to more than
half the rooms.
555
€€
-
€€€
(Via Cairoli, 29;
%
0532-211100 or 0532-248000; www.borgonuovo.com)
is the most charming
hostelry in Ferrara. The gracious owner, Signora Adele Orlandini, has spruced up
an apartment that once housed her father's law offices in a medieval
palazzo
on a
pedestrian street around the corner from the
castello.
The four large, stylish rooms
are a tasteful mix of rustic and Art Deco antiques with posh new bathrooms (one
large double also has a kitchenette), and rent for
The elegant
Borgonuovo Bed & Breakfast
105. She serves a hearty
breakfast (in the lovely garden, weather permitting), and offers bicycles, discount
coupons for museums and nearby shops, and plenty of advice on how to enjoy
her native city. Book well in advance--Signora's rooms and hospitality are much
in demand.
Fortunately, she has recently added two elegant new apartments with antique
furnishings in the building next door. One is a mansard apartment with rooftop
views, the other has higher ceilings and a large living room. Both come with two
double bedrooms and a kitchenette, and can comfortably sleep up to five (but cost
no more than a regular double for two). Services in the apartments are the same
as in the main
locanda
itself (you take your breakfast there), but get your own key
to a separate entrance. Signora also offers an 8-day Italian-language course for
adults (in conjunction with a nearby language school), consisting of 3-hour les-
sons each day in the hotel garden.
€
85 to
€
Built in 1700, the elegant
Europa
(Corso Giovecca, 49, between Via
Palestro and Via Teatini;
%
0532-205456; www.hoteleuropaferrara.com),
1 block
from the Castello Estense, has served as a hotel since 1880. Multiple renovations
have left it with a somewhat contemporary look, though enough of the original
architecture remains to render the premises atmospheric. Several of the enormous
guest rooms—including most along the main street—were converted from grand
salons and have frescoed ceilings, the original checkerboard terra-cotta tile floors,
Art Nouveau furnishings, and Murano chandeliers. Unfortunately, you pay the
€€€
