Piazza San Giorgio --- Ferrara, Italia.

Ferrara Notes: Ferrara (pop. 140,000) is in the Emilia Romagna region, in Northern Italy (latitude similar to Burlington VT or Portland OR), almost at the end of the Po River Valley. Formerly marshy, the area is flat and just below sea level. Weather is hot and humid in summer, cold and humid (foggy) in winter.

Ferrara is mentioned in documents from the 8^th C. A.D., but there were settlements in the area in the Bronze Age and Etruscan times. Ferrara is on the Po river, which until the 16^th C. ran right through the center of town. The church of San Giorgio is built on the site of a much earlier church at what was the first settlement of Ferrara (just outside the city wall).

But Ferrara’s moment of glory was during the Renaissance, when it was ruled by the Este Family. There are still many beautiful Renaissance buildings and frescoes in Ferrara’s historic center. The Este Castle, with its moat, stands in the center of the city. Ferrara’s magnificent fortified wall is a focus of activity today, used by joggers, walkers and cyclists (there is a track on top of the wall and a bike path around the outside of it) and also a meeting place for dog owners. In the summer, concerts are held in large grassy areas just outside the wall. Almost every Ferrarese owns a bike and uses it for trips into the center of town, which is closed to traffic, so be sure to practice your biking skills before you come – it’s a 10 min. ride into the city center.

Today Ferrara’s economy is based on agriculture and light industry. The University of Ferrara, with about 5000 students, was founded over 600 years ago. Copernicus studied there for a time.

Famous Ferraresi: composer Frescobaldi, artists Dosso Dossi, De Pisis and Boldini, heretic Savonarola, poet Ariosto, novelist Bassani and film director Antonioni. Lucrezia Borgia is buried in a convent here. If you want to get a feeling for Ferrara, try reading any of Bassani’s novels or short stories, or rent the films “Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini” and “Gli Occhiali d’Oro.”

Arrival by air or train. Get the airport bus to the train station. Take an IR (Inter-regional) train if possible, as you pay a supplement for either Euro Star or Inter-City. Train fare from Bologna to Ferrara is about 3 euros. At the train station, take either a taxi (about 10 euros) or the no. 2 bus (buy bus tickets at the cigarette stand or newspaper vendor inside the station, asking for “due bigletti d’autobus” – 1 euro each). (To get the no. 2 bus, turn right out of the station, cross the bike parking lot, and go on a bit further and you should see the bus stop. It doesn’t stop right in front of the station any more.) Ask someone on the bus to tell you when you get to San Giorgio. You will then walk across the bridge over the Volano canal, aiming for the church with the leaning tower at the other end of a grassy field. As you near the church you will see on your right a large arched entrance to a small cobbled street. That’s where the house is, about 2/3 of the way down on the right.

Arrival by car. Take the “autostrada” -- highway A-13 (Padova-Bologna) -- and exit at FERRARA SUD. After the toll booth, take the 3^rd exit: “Ferrara” (about 3 km from toll booth). This is immediately after the 2^nd exit at the overpass. Follow signs to “Ferrara Centro” and be in the left lane at the traffic light. If you look back and to your left now, you will see the church of San Giorgio with its leaning tower.. After the light, you curve left and come to a little intersection with a bridge on your right. Just after the intersection, turn left into the street that goes between the grassy field and a popular bar. At the end you will see the church on the left and a large arched entrance to a small cobbled street. That’s where the house is. You can drive inside to unload your baggage, but should go back out onto the “piazzale” to park because all the parking spaces near the house are spoken for.

There’s a small parking area between the church and the end of the grassy field. Don’t park right outside the arch, as you might get a ticket. (In Italy, never assume that because cars are parked in an area, it’s legal to park there.) You will see another bar just to the left as you exit the arched entrance to our little street. You can park on the street opposite this bar. You can also park opposite the popular bar, if you can find a space.

If you want to drive to town, try parking in the lots near Piazza Travaglio. It’s hard to park near the train station, but you can always try the residential streets about 3-4 blocks from the station. I usually go by bus or by bike and lock the bike outside the station if on a day trip. If I’m going to be away for more than a day, I leave my bike at the “deposito” (located off to the right of the station as you face it), paying 1 euro per day.