Ferrara

The following day we took the train to Ferrara, a little over an hour away. Walking from the train station into town, it seemed a bit like a repeat of Ravenna -- somewhat industrial, not too attractive, but then in the center things got significantly better. The main attraction here was the castle of the Este family, who ruled Ferrara and the surrounding area in the Renaissance. Complete with towers, drawbridges, and moats, it's everything you would imagine from a castle. In the interior, we visited the royal apartments, some with some rather intricate ceiling decorations, as well as the dungeons, complete with centuries-old graffiti on the walls and ceiling (there are some good stories about the Este family... for example Ugo and Parisina or Giulio). From there it was not far to the Duomo, of which the facade is the main attraction. Finally, we walked a bit through the alleys of the city, ending up at the Palazzo dei Diamanti, with an interesting stone decoration on the outside. Finally, we walked back to the train station took the train back to Florence.