Duomo di Ferrara 2013

Just posted a new set of photos from the Duomo di Ferrara, which has some very nice grisaille work inside and some good marble reference shots. Enjoy!

Day 10- Ferrara is beautiful!

Riding along the town walls in the morning- great way to catch a breeze!

What the heck, might as well make it a habit! Started the day with renting some bikes and heading up to the medieval era walls that go all the way around the town. Beautiful way to start the day! The linden trees are blooming everywhere and they smell almost like jasmine. From the elevated walls you catch little glimpses of the towers and steeples of Ferrara, plus other bits outside the walls. You can circumnavigate the old town in less than an hour, and it's super pleasant. It also has condom machines.

Convenient condom machines near the bike path, because you never know who you might bump into out on your bike

Took in the Palazzina Marfisa d'Este, a lovely old house with period furniture and elaborate grottesca ceilings that are badly in need of a cleaning. Couldn't take many pictures since we were the only ones there and the docents followed us around like bird dogs! Nice to be in a smaller town for less crowds, but this is the flip side of that coin. They also are really serious about their hours; if you're in there at 12:30 and they close at one for lunch, they pretty much breathe on you so you'll leave a bit early. They're probably mostly volunteers, so I get it, but it's not what we're used to and makes you feel a bit unwelcome, especially since we paid 5 Euros to get in.

View from outside of the Palazzina Marfisa d'Este. Since they wouldn't let you take them inside, I took a few from outside. Nyah!

Later went to the Palazzo Schifanoia and the Castello Estense. After all the beautiful maintenance we've seen on the trip it was a bit shocking to see ceilings like this at the Castello. Not through any fault of its caretakers, we learned that this is all damage from the May 2012 earthquakes that occurred in this region. Ferrara was particularly hard hit- the Castello lost part of its tower and a church near the Piazza lost the upper part of its facade. The Palazzo Schifanoia, one of the town's treasures, is still 80% closed, with piles of exterior masonry lying in the courtyard behind. Very sad stuff!

Beautiful plaster entry to the Palazzo Schifanoia.  Most of the interior was closed due to the  2012 earthquake.

So all the tissue paper you see here has been applied to cracks, to keep more plaster from falling off. It is very delicately applied with reversible adhesives that will stay until it can be properly restored. I wonder if they need helpers...hmmmm!

Ceiling in the Castello Estense with paper applied to keep crumbles from falling out of the cracks made by the earthquake in 2012.

In any case, it's nice that they are still open (except for the rooms at Schifanoia) and that they let you look at them even- in their damaged state they are still stunning! This one is called the Hall of games, as the imagery is all based on a 16th century translation of Greek gymnastic exercises as described by Vitruvius in Roman times.The castello has dungeons that were truly chilling, and not just in temperature. Supposedly there was one man in there for 43 years before being released-(shivers!!) 

Went back to our lovely room (I wish I could pack this one up and take it to our other stops- it's really comfy and cheap!) for a lunch of store bought stuff, which is becoming our pattern. Some fresh and roasted veggies, a bit of bread, yummy cheeses-all for about $10.

Hit the bikes again around 5 pm to take in one more Palazzo and get a gelato in the piazza before returning our rides and going back to our cozy cave. 

Day Nine- 
[This is where I started journaling while on the trip- days one through eight were written after we came back, while looking through the photos for the chronology of events]

Backside of the Palazzo Municipale in Ferrara.

Well, we couldn't find a cheap last minute room in Padova, so we skipped over it to the charming town of Ferrara tonight, which so far seems like a fine move. Our room here is cheap ($68), spacious, cool, and near the train station, all things we enjoy. On our afternoon stroll (have to stroll, 'cause it's HOT in the afternoon!) we took in the Piazza and the requisite Cattedrale (for its cool shadows) and then up to the Casa Romei, a restored 15th century palazzo that had great decorations from medieval period on, some brought there from churches that had been destroyed. Its been heartening to see many buildings being well cared for on this trip. 

The Casa Romei in Ferrara is a well preserved house built in the 16th century

On the way back to the hotel, we sat in the Piazza for a while to watch the citizens emerge and mingle on their way home. This city loves bikes! Everyone rides one, from kids to grannies! Finally, after picking up some groceries to eat in the room (that way we can afford some splurgy food when we want) we spotted a couple of Stile Liberty (Italian Art Nouveau) houses just around the corner from where we are staying. What a treat! 

Entry to a house called the Villa Melchiori in Ferrara. Sunflowers are the theme of its decorations. Italian Art Nouveau is known as Stile Liberty

Tomorrow we will see the Castello Estense, the Palazzina Marfisa d'Este, and the Palazzo Schifanoia. I think we have determined that we really need two days to do any town- we're just not good at hit and run visits. Going to rent bikes too, so we can join the locals!

Everyone rides a bike in Ferrara. Come to the piazza in the early evening to see the whole town come by!