Ferrara, Sam's advice

• Breakfast at Pasticceria Europa, 50 metres from the Bed & Bike. Don't miss the "cannoncini alla crema".
• Visit to the aristocratic residence of Marfisa d'Este, adjacent to Palazzo Bonacossi. Marfisa D'Este lived there in the sixteenth century and still today you can admire the refined rooms and elegant gardens where the aristocracy of the city gathered.
• Lunch at Cotto&Mangiato in Viale Cavour.
• Visit to Palazzo Bonacossi, a 16th-century complex. Its high tower is home to an extensive museum circuit involving the nearby Palazzo Schifanoia and the Palazzina di Marfisa d'Este. Together they form the Museo Civico d'Arte Antica, one of the most interesting places to visit.
• Dinner at Cucina Bacilieri to discover dishes with unexpected combinations but surprisingly top taste.

My 5 days in Ferrara

Between taste and history

• Breakfast at Pasticceria Roverella, 100 metres from the Bed&Bike. It is one of the city's historic pastry shops.
• Visit to the Estense Castle with a stop at the Castle Cafeteria located on the main floor of the monument. You will find yourself in a prestigious frescoed room from which you can admire the extraordinary perspective of Corso Ercole I d'Este, one of the most beautiful streets in Europe.
• Lunch break at Farina del mio sacco: tigelle, crescentine, platters of cured meats in a young, informal setting. The quality/price ratio is excellent.
• Visit to the Cathedral of San Giorgio Martire. We Ferrara people call it the Duomo because it is the city's main place of worship. The white marble with which it is built bears the marks of all the historical eras that Ferrara has gone through over the centuries. The Renaissance bell tower, the work of Leon Battista Alberti, has remained unfinished.
• Evening at the Torrione Jazz Club, located inside a Renaissance bastion.

• Breakfast at the Caffè del Corso, 50 metres from the Bed&Bike. Here you will find the best "ricciolina" you can eat. Try it to believe it.
• A stroll along Via delle Volte, so called because of the arches and suspended passages that characterise it. Almost two kilometres long, this is one of the places in the city where time seems to have stopped. Choose the stretch you prefer and savour its medieval charm.
• Visit the National Archaeological Museum with treasures from the Spina necropolis. In addition to reconstructed tombs, you can see pottery of Attic origin as well as magnificent gold and amber jewellery which testify to the wealth of the city of Spina before and after the advent of the Roman Empire.
• Lunch at Piaceri di Lucrezia: a guarantee of tradition and quality.
• Tour of the mediaeval walls by bike: 14 km with fabulous views.
• Concert at Palazzo Bonacossi: chamber music concerts organised by the Frescobaldi Conservatory of Ferrara.

• Breakfast at Pasticceria Roverella, 100 metres from the Bed&Bike.
• Visit to the church of Santa Maria in Vado. With important paintings by Bononi, it is a breathtaking church in terms of its beauty and solemnity. The scene of the miracle of the bleeding host and built over the ancient chapel where travellers gave thanks for the ford of the river Po, the church is immersed in peace: dive in without fear.
• Visit the ancient Jewish Ghetto, even better if accompanied by a guide. An experience to be had in order to understand the places and situations of a community that has lived and influenced so much in the life of the city.
• Lunch at the Cappelli bakery with typical products including fresh local pasta. A small and spartan place but of quality for a quick lunch. Excellent cappellacci with pumpkin, honest price.
• Visit to Meis with the permanent exhibition "Jews, an Italian story. The first thousand years". The Meis tells the story of Italian Judaism, describing how it was formed and developed in the peninsula from the Roman age to the Middle Ages.
• Evening on the outskirts of Ferrara at Agriturismo la Bozzola, where you can taste salamina da sugo in all its variations.