Monday May 1, 2023
An early day for Carol and I as our train leaves at 0730. we are on our own for three days as Dave and Gwen are going to Florence. We will meet up again in Bologna. Our Destination for today is Ferrara. It is a 3 hour and 10 minute journey with a change in Bologna. The journey goes smoothly and we find our way to the small hotel we booked. The door is locked so we hit the buzzer and a nice man Roberto answers the door. He does not speak much English but we manage just fine. He asks if we got his message that had the code but we put Carols phone on airplane mode when we travel so we missed it. Not a problem. Our room is not ready but we can leave our packs there and he says he will put them in the room when it is ready. He gives us our keys, tells us the door code for the outside door, we pay our city tax, get a map and are all set to go.
We walk over towards Castello Estense. I made a reservation online not knowing if we would need one as today is May 1st, a holiday in Italy (they’re Labor Day). We get there around 1130 so we go in to see if we can go in early as our reservation is not until 1300. I get up to the ticket window and ask for the Ferrara Card which lets us in to several sites over our time here including the Castello. We pay for it and he gives us entry tickets into the Castello, so I do not need to ask as it is apparent we can go in now. The Castle is also known as St Michaels Castle and apparently it was built to keep the ruling Este family safe, not necessarily from enemy troops, but rather from disgruntled peasants. They were not well liked by the local people and the trigger for building the castle was a revolt that led to a member of the ruling family being torn limb from limb by the good people of Ferrara. Construction was started in 1385 and eventually the Estes made it their permanent home in the late 15th century. It has four massive towers, three drawbridges, and a moat which is actually filled with water thus making Carol very happy. Nicola III was the main Este who turned the castle into a home. The Marquis was known for his collection (no not art) of mistresses who lived in the castle and took turns satisfying his needs. At one point there reportedly was close to a thousand concubines living within the castle walls. There is a statue of Nicola III on horseback in the piazza outside the castle that was commissioned by Nicola III himself.
We start our visit inside the castle and are treated to the beautiful bibles of Borso D’Este. Borso was the illegitimate son of Nicola III, yet became the Lord of Ferrara in 1450. In 1453 he received the title of Duke of Modena and Reggio from the Emporer Frederick III of Hapsburg. We also get to check out the dungeons and prisons below the castle. The saga of Nicola III continues here as even though he reveled in his infidelity, he could not tolerate it in others. Parisian was the young second wife of the Marquis who fell in love with her stepson Ugo and he with her. The young lovers were found out and imprisoned. At only twenty years old they were beheaded. The cells have ancient graffiti from those imprisoned, perhaps the young lovers themselves. Another tale is of Giuliano and Ferrante D’Este who were the brothers of Alphons I and sentenced to death. They were accused of plotting against the Duke and their brother Cardinal Ippolito. Their sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and Ferrante spent 43 years here before being pardoned and Giuliano was released in 1559 at the age of 81. At any rate, the 10 to 15 minutes we spend down here is enough for us and we escape the confines of the dungeon prison never to be heard from again in the land of Ferrara. More history involves Lucretia Borgia (there is a mini series on the Borgias we have yet to watch although Carol has read some on them). She was the sixth daughter of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia (later Pope Alexander VI). At the age of 13 (probably to legitimize her)she was married off to Giovanni Sforza, Lord of Pesaro. When that marriage was annulled, she wed Alfonso D’Aragona, Duke of Bisceglie, who was burdened by assassins sent by her brother Cesare Borgia. In February 1502, she arrived in Ferrara to marry Alphonso I D’Este. This union bore the future Duke of Ferrara, Ercole, Cardinal Ippolito, Eleonora (a nun) and the future Marquis of Massalombarda, Francesco as well as Alessandro and Isabella who died as babies. Lucretia died herself while giving birth to Isabella at the age of 39. The ill fame of her fathers household contributed to a wealth of dark legends that surrounded her especially later in the19th and 20th centuries. We get to climb the Lions Tower and also see some nice frescos on the Triumph of Bacchus (Carols favorite God of Wine) as well as the Ducal Chapel. the views from the tower highlight the town even though it is a cloudy (soon to rain) day. There is some strangely unfitting modern art at the end of the tour with one or two interesting pieces. The concept does not seem to fit. In with the historical aspect of the Castle. by the time we leave it is 1400 and we have spent two and a half enjoyable hours in the Castle.
We decide to walk to Palazzo Schifanoia, a place built for the Este family. It is normally closed on Mondays but is supposedly open today for May Day. We wind through the interesting and beautiful streets of Ferrara and find the Palazzo. there is some nice medieval art but the highlight is the Salone dei Mesi (room of the months) where there are frescos painted by Cosimo Tera of allegorical depictions of the months of the year. Each month has a section of wall dedicated to it. Unfortunately several months are lost forever as they did not survive the ravages of time. It was worth the walk over here.
On this same side of town is the Monastery of Sant Antonio in Polesine, so we go a little further to check it out. The remains of its founder Blessed Beatrice II D’Este lie here. With her fathers permission, she took her monastic vows. attracted by her virtues, other young noblewomen joined her and they formed a community of souls consecrated to God. The church itself is rather small and the crypt with Beatrice’s remains is kept behind a gate so our visit is short. We wind our way back toward the Cathedral of Ferrara. The Piazza Trente is characterized by its beautiful loggia. We enter the Cathedral to discover a massive renovation going on. Everything is covered in netting and the whole front half of the Cathedral is blocked by a temporary wall and you can not see much of anything beyond it.
I guess that will conclude our day as we return to our accommodations to get into our room. The code works for the front door and no one is at the reception. we walk the two flights up and enter our room. What a pleasant surprise. The bedroom is huge and has a full size leather sofa in it. There is a second bedroom we did not realize we had so if Carol snores, we know where she will be sleeping. The bathroom is large also with a great shower and another surprise, a leg and foot massager. Water and Prosecco is in the mini fridge. We are amazed by this place as it is really nice and we are only paying 45 dollars a night. Carol goes right into the bathroom and takes advantage of the massager. I guess I have to wait my turn. We shower and relax a few hours before dinner. Due to the rain that has settled in, we look for a place to eat that is not too far.
We settle on La Campagnia bout 4 blocks away. The owner welcomes us in and the waiter speaks very good English. We tell him that we have been traveling for 3 weeks and he asks where we have been. When we mention Puglia, he says where in Puglia as his girlfriend is from there. At this point, the owner chimes in with she is not his girlfriend as she is a boy. It is quite humorous in a strange kind of way. The owner then asks where we are from and we say United States and Utah and he says oh so you are rich. he says it in a joking kind of way. We order an antipasto, and two pasta dishes, a Cappelaccio with meat sauce, and Tagliatelle with Ragu and a Pumpkin Tortelloni with butter and sage. Everything is great. About halfway through our meal, couple walks in and they choose the table next to us. It is apparent that they have been here before as they are greeted by the waiter by name. The owner comes over and tells them that we are from United States, Massachusetts, very rich and then tells us that it is a custom for the guests from out of town to buy the meal of the locals. very funny guy. It is a nice experience and after we just walk the few blocks home in the rain. A hopefully good nights sleep awaits us. Expenses Pastry Breakfast at Station 2.60E Train from Arezzo to Ferrara 30.20E Ferrara Card 40E Art Avenguardia BNB 44.40E Dinner and Wine at La Campagnia 53E Walked 9.8 Miles
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