Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
Renaissance palaces reborn as museums are Ferrara's tour de force. Also check out the in-
tricate old town with its one-time Jewish ghetto. An entry card valid for seven of Ferrara's
museums costs €11.50, is valid for 15 days and can be bought from the tourist office. Most
museums are closed on Monday.
Castello Estense
(Viale Cavour; adult/reduced €8/6.50, tower extra €1; 9.30am-5.30pm)
Complete with moat and
drawbridge, Ferrara's towering castle was commissioned by Nicolò II d'Este in 1385. Ini-
tially it was intended to protect him and his family from the town's irate citizenry, who
were up in arms over tax increases, but in the late 15th century it became the family's per-
manent residence.
Although sections are now used as government offices, a few rooms, including the royal
suites, are open for viewing. Highlights are the
Sala dei Giganti
(Giants' Room) and
Salone
dei Giochi
(Games Salon), the
Cappella di Renée de France
and the claustrophobic
dungeon
. It
was here in 1425 that Duke Nicolò III d'Este had his young second wife, Parisina Mal-
atesta, and his son, Ugo, beheaded after discovering they were lovers, providing the inspir-
ation for Robert Browning's
My Last Duchess
.
Linked to the castle by an elevated passageway, the 13th-century crenellated
Palazzo Mu-
home until they moved next door to the castle in the late 15th century. Nowadays, it's
largely occupied by administrative offices but you can wander around its twin courtyards.
CASTLE
Duomo
CATHEDRAL
(Piazza Cattedrale; 7.30am-noon & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 7.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm Sun)
The out-
standing feature of the pink-and-white 12th-century cathedral is its three-tiered marble
facade, combining Romanesque and Gothic styles on the lower and upper tiers respectively.
Much of the upper level is a graphic representation of
The Last Judgment
, and heaven and
hell (notice the four figures clambering out of their coffins).
