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Events
The time
passing has not dimmed the splendour of
Ferrara, but every century has left a
precious sign.
Ferrara
is a city to be enjoyed walking
down its streets, discovering its
character of magnificent Renaissance
capital and finding out how its present
has arisen from that splendid past.
A city born on water, Ferrara still shows
the signs of a close relationship with its
big river, the river Po: the design of the
streets, for instance, or the modern
tourist harbour, or the canal network
which surrounds it, reaching the Adriatic
Sea where the Po-Delta Park
stretches for kilometres with its woods, lagoons, beaches and modern
resorts.
The art lovers cannot miss the great
exhibitions of Palazzo dei Diamanti, like
the most recent ones: Dalí, Miró, Monet,
Chagall, Gauguin and many others.
History follows you
everywhere, in the fine palaces, or in the
small medieval streets, and once a year
they explode with the colours and sounds
of the "palio" of Saint George.
A peculiar atmosphere may be enjoyed in
the city centre among shops and cafés,
where life's rhythm seems to be beaten out
by the silent passing of hundreds of
bicycles. Or in the many small or large
gardens, in the cloisters and in
the courtyard, whose peacefulness is
broken only, in the Summer evenings, by
the concerts of the Aterforum
festival which, together with the great
performances organized by the City
Opera House and the Ferrara Musica
Committee, chaired by Claudio Abbado,
carry on Ferrara's ancient musical
tradition. And again from music comes the
biggest festival of the year: The
Buskers' Festival in August when
players and thousands of spectators invade
the squares and streets during this week
of rhythm and fun.
The
Surrounding Area of Ferrara The
whole territory with its rich centres of
art and memories is considerably
interesting:
Stellata di Bondeno, with its
fortress, witness of the long wars against
Venice; Argenta, with its ancient
Church of Saint George, Cento,
native land of the Guercino, with
its rich historical centre of evocative
places; Comacchio, ancient lagoon
city, still crossed by its canals;
the Abbey of Pomposa, spiritual
beacon in the middle of the country,
precious monument of the
Byzanthine-Romanesque architecture;
Mesola, with its XVI Century Este
Castle, a little distance from the
Great Forest, the hunting ground of
the Este Dukes.
Large, fine, safe and calm sand beaches
like their sea: from these characteristics,
from this land that is insinuated among
sea, valleys and forests, the Lidi of
Comacchio have found their own place.
Entertainment is, on the other hand,
just as important:: discos, pubs, places
of meeting, street-markets and cultural
events, shows and other more always take
place.
And the Park of the Po Delta: one
green frame of pine forests and
naturalistic oases, thirteen thousand
hectares of water mirrors, ideal habitat
for an incredible amount of fish and
aquatic birds.
The
tradition of the cuisine The
rural popular traditions, with their
simple and natural tastes, melt with the
memories of the elaborate foods of the
ducal court, to give origin to the
kitchen of Ferrara and its particular
flavours.
The most famous among Ferrara's
specialities is certainly the bread,
called "couple" (in dialect "Ciopa"),
unmistakable for the twisted and elaborate
shape that was probably given to it by
Cristoforo Messiburgo, Alfonso I and
Ercole II Este' s cook.
Among the main dishes the Salama da
sugo triumphs, queen of the festive
tables: an unusual mixture of spiced
pork and red wine left to dry
up for months in its round-shaped covering
. Best served with mashed potatoes.
In addition to the Lasagne, that
the tradition of Ferrara recalls to the
blond hair of Lucrezia Borgia, and "cappelletti"
(local variety of the tortellini), the "cappellacci"
of pumpkin and parmesan and
the "passatelli" (tasty vermicelli)
are very popular in chicken soup.
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