13 September Travel Day to Ferrara, IT via Milan 14 September Full-Day In Ferrara

eylarson

Sep 16

2 min read

Cool in the high 60’s leaving the lake area, warmer into the 80 as we reached Ferrara

We took a private car with the couple from Napa Valley to reach Milano. From there we got a train to Bologna, changed and got a commuter train to Ferrara. Finally, a taxi to our Air BnB which is really a hotel kind of set up, with very weak Wi-Fi.

Fortunately, our room is on the first floor. A bedroom, bathroom, small cruise ship shower and a kitchen that is minimally equipped. We faced the same Sunday night issue as in Torino, few restaurants open and settled on a bar with beer, some crackers, focaccia, and potato chips. It was more than enough. We hit a nearby grocery store for breakfast items and returned to the room to unpack and get ready for the days ahead.

Our Air BnB

Can't fall in this shower

14 September, our first full day in Ferrara with a self-guided tour of the city. We started with a practice walk to the train station that will be our point of departure for tours to Florence, Bologna, Venice and Verenna. The last is a town highly recommended by our guides on the museum tour. The station is 18 minutes away and a pretty straight shot from our room.

The highlight of the day was Castello Estense. It belonged to one of the first European Lords to be elected by the people. It was stated on a single tower, the Lions’ Tower and eventually grew to have four towers and a moat, drawbridge and strategic battlements. Unfortunately, unlike the Savoy properties we visited earlier, all of the family’s collected art was dispersed after the family failed to negotiate peace between themselves and the Papal State.

We also visited the cathedral where they were tuning the highest noted of the pipe organ. The process calls for pressing a key and holding it for minutes while the expert tuner makes small changes in the pipe itself. A painful experience for those of us visiting.