Explore Ferrara

Castello Estense is the moated brick castle in the centre of Ferrara, begun in 1385 by the architect Bartolino da Novara for Niccolò II d'Este after a revolt over taxes. Built around the older Torre dei Leoni, it has four corner towers and later became the residence of the Este court. Visitors see the painted ducal rooms and the prisons and can climb the Torre dei Leoni.

Palazzo dei Diamanti is a Renaissance palace in Ferrara, built in 1493–1503 by Biagio Rossetti for Sigismondo d'Este at a main crossroads of the Addizione Erculea, the city's planned extension. Its walls are faced with about 8,500 marble blocks cut as diamond points. The ground floor hosts temporary art exhibitions; the upper floor houses the Pinacoteca Nazionale.

Ferrara Cathedral, dedicated to St George, was begun in 1135 and its main altar consecrated in 1177. Its white marble west front is Romanesque below and Gothic above, with loggias, arcades and reliefs; a long arcaded flank lines the square. It reopened in March 2024 after restoration and repairs that followed the 2012 earthquake; scaffolding still hides part of the front.

The Pinacoteca Nazionale di Ferrara is a state picture gallery on the upper floor of Palazzo dei Diamanti, founded by the city in 1836. It shows painting in Ferrara from the 13th to the 18th century: medieval frescoes from local churches, Cosmè Tura and Ercole de' Roberti, altarpieces by Garofalo and Dosso Dossi, and works by Mantegna, Carpaccio and Guercino.

Palazzo Schifanoia is a palace of the Este family in Ferrara, begun in 1385 as a retreat for Alberto V d'Este and enlarged by Borso d'Este. Its Hall of the Months holds a fresco cycle of the months and zodiac signs painted around 1469–70 by Francesco del Cossa and other Ferrarese painters. Since 2021 it houses the Museo Schifanoia, with about 250 works in 21 rooms.