Forget Rome and its jam-packed Trastevere, Naples with its graffiti-splattered center, and Milan’s cathedral-anchored main square, where you practically have to wade through an indiscernible mass of bodies.
If you’re looking to experience Italy without the crowds, and at normal prices, Ferrara is where you should be headed.
Home to a stunning moated citadel, a plethora of family-owned trattorias dishing up hearty $15 pasta, and far fewer tourists than you’d expect for a city so beautiful and deeply historic, it’s rising fast in popularity right now, and you know how it goes in Europe at this point:
Better get to those hidden gems quickly before they’re hidden no more.
One Of The Trendiest Spots In Northern Italy Right Now
Between January and August 2026, overnight stays in Ferrara rose by 5.07% year-on-year, with overnights in August alone increasing by a whopping 15.64%.
Numbers can feel dispiritingly boring, but they do tell us one thing: Ferrara has never been as popular as it was this past summer, and for a secondary city in a region whose inland destinations foreign tourists often overlook, that’s quite a big deal.
You may have never heard of it before, but it just happens to be one of the strongest alternatives to the usual Rome–Milan–Venice circuit, especially for those who love medieval architecture and authentic Italian city life without the spoils of mass tourism.
Remember the equally-underrated Vicenza, which we covered here in depth before?
Think something along those lines, only arguably grander and even more Renaissance-esque in character.
An Open-Air Renaissance Museum
Ferrara may be fairly large, home to over 129,000 residents within its municipal limits, but at its heart, it truly feels like a small town that expanded far beyond the confines of its medieval walls.
Milan has the soaring Gothic Duomo, Rome has the Colosseum, Venice the winding canals… Ferrara’s pride and joy, on the other hand, is an imposing medieval fortress planted right in the centre of the city, surrounded by water-filled moats.
Castello Estense is the one landmark you can’t skip on a visit to Ferrara, however short.
For only around $14—far less than many headline attractions elsewhere in Italy—you can explore its medieval dungeons and beautiful Renaissance-era apartments, lavishly-decorated with frescoed ceilings and painted walls.
Pay roughly $2.20 extra to climb the Lions Tower for panoramic views of the medieval skyline and the more modern suburbs in the distance.
The fact it literally sits in the middle of downtown, amid the hum of bustling thoroughfares and café-lined squares, is worth the detour here alone, but there’s more to Ferrara than its moated, 14th-century wonder.
Dating back to 1135, the local Duomo, dedicated to Saint George, is a magnificent cathedral blending a Romanesque lower façade and monumental sculpted portal with an ornate Gothic upper register and a largely-Baroque interior.
Seriously, the monumental nave, 18th-century high altar, and Bastianino’s Last Judgement sprawling across the apse could restore your faith in whatever’s left of Europe these days.
Which, by the way, if you’ve been following the news in Italy and France lately, might not feel like a lot.
How Safe Is Italy Right Now?
There are ongoing mass protests taking place in these two European powerhouses, and from the burnt-out storefronts of Paris to clashes spilling into Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and stores being looted around Piazza Duomo, it’s wild out here.
I wouldn’t have known how to navigate these flashpoints and disruptions, and stay safe, without resorting to my go-to safety tool: Travel Off Path’s Traveler Dashboard.
It updates you on all you need to know regarding protest alerts and weather hazards at your destination, including live warnings about violent demonstrations and transport disruption.
Luckily for tourists, Italy’s unrest has so far remained more localized than the havoc wreaked across France over the weekend, and most importantly even, Ferrara has not emerged as one of the main flashpoints.
The country also still boasts a certified-safe ‘green’ level on the Traveler Safety Index, with a score of 92.
Diamond-Marble Palaces & Timeless Medieval Streets Galore
Now, wanna see something that will blow your mind?
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Palazzo dei Diamanti is probably Ferrara’s most jaw-dropping, geometrically striking edifice.
My favorite Renaissance palace in all of Italy, it’s completely covered in more than 8,500 diamond-shaped marble blocks that seem to glow under the dying sunlight.
It’s the proud home of the National Picture Gallery, housing masterpieces by renowned artists such as Cosmè Tura, Ercole de’ Roberti, and Garofalo, and even if you’re not an art aficionado—I’m certainly not one to spend hours staring at centuries-old canvases myself—you should still visit for the unique architecture and elegant inner courtyard.
Then there’s Ferrara’s labyrinth of a Historic Center, and good Lord, I could write a whole 20-page love letter on it.
If Naples’ Vespa-dominated alleyways and Rome’s fountain squares brimming with selfie-takers are a bit much for you, Ferrara has atmospheric cobbled streets lined with elevated brick passageways, and tucked-away piazzas with maybe a quarter of the usual crowds.
It feels like stepping back into the 15th century, only with better plumbing, and besides the sheer beauty of its noble residences, original painted rooms, and idyllic courtyards—hello, Casa Romei is maybe Italy’s prettiest surviving medieval dwelling—it’s a playground for food lovers.
Check Travel Rules Flying To Europe This Season
Quick intermission: if you’re headed to Europe this fall, and this includes Italy, make sure you double-check the entry requirements in place before flying.
Your U.S. passport remains the key document, but Schengen border processing has changed: Americans are now registered under EES using fingerprints and a facial scan on arrival.
ETIAS, the separate online travel authorization, is not yet operational, so no application is currently required. Keep an eye out for it in 2027, though.
Check the documents and entry rules that apply to you on the Entry Requirement Checker.
How Affordable Is Food In Ferrara?
Ferrara is maybe one of my favourite Italian cities for regional food: it’s in the heart of Emilia-Romagna, the home region of tortellini and tagliatelle al ragù, so you know the pasta is the real deal here.
Even better? Gorging on bowls of pumpkin-filled cappellacci drenched in ragù won’t set you back much more than $15 in many traditional eateries.
Located down narrow Via Ragno, Trattoria da Noemi is one of those decades-old, family-run institutions, established in the post-war optimism of 1958, and it’s where you should go for Ferrara’s signature cappellacci di zucca al ragù and a small carafe of local Fortana wine.
The cappellacci currently cost €14, or just under $16, while a quarter-litre of house Fortana is €6, or roughly $7.
I Tri Scalin, over on Via Darsena, is yet another local fixture:
An old-school trattoria frequented by the Ferrarese themselves, away from the bustle of the busier downtown streets.
I might have come here at least twice for their bollito misto, a generous platter of assorted boiled meats served with mashed potatoes, horseradish, mustard, and salsa verde.
Now, if you have a penchant for the medieval flair of it all, Trattoria Il Mandolino sits just off Via delle Volte, perhaps Ferrara’s prettiest medieval street, and they serve a killer cappellacci di zucca al ragù—which is just mouthful Italian for pumpkin-filled pasta tossed in slow-cooked meat sauce.
A certified autumnal banger.
Wondering how much a weekend spent sightseeing and eating your way through Ferrara’s 15th-century city grid will cost you?
Here’s the full rundown:
Average Prices In Ferrara, Italy This Fall
- Takeaway snack, such as a slice of pizza, piadina, or pinzino: $3.50–7
- Whole pizza in a casual pizzeria: $8–15
- Cappellacci di zucca: $14–18
- Traditional meat main, such as salama da sugo or bollito misto: $18–32
- Three-course meal in a mid-range restaurant: $25–50 per person, excluding drinks
- Cappuccino: $1.50–3
- Glass of regional wine: $4–8
- 75-minute local bus ticket: around $2.15
- Castello Estense admission: around $14, plus roughly $2.25 for the Lions Tower
- Simple guesthouse or B&B: $75–115 per night
- 4-star hotel: $120–200 per night
How To Get To Ferrara From The U.S.
Ferrara does not have its own commercial airport, with the nearest international airport being in Bologna (BLQ), roughly 27 miles away. However, as of 2026, there are no nonstop U.S. flights to Bologna.
The nearest major airports hosting Transatlantic flights are Milan–Malpensa (MXP), 188 miles, and Venice Marco Polo (VCE), 58 miles.
Fly into either one of those, then hop on a short 47min–1h42 train to Ferrara. One-way tickets range from $10 to $21 when booked online in advance.
Castello Estense
Explore this imposing 14th century fortress planted right in the center of the city, complete with water filled moats and medieval dungeons.
Palazzo dei Diamanti
Marvel at this geometrically striking palace covered in over 8500 diamond shaped marble blocks that seem to glow under the dying sunlight.
Quiet Streets
Step back into the 15th century by exploring atmospheric cobbled streets, elevated brick passageways, and tucked away piazzas.
Cappellacci di Zucca
Dine in traditional family run trattorias and order Ferrara’s signature pumpkin filled pasta drenched in slow cooked meat sauce.
High Safety Levels
Relax in a city that avoids the mass protests, violent demonstrations, and high property crime rates often found in larger European powerhouses.
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