Ferrara is at the centre of and is one of the most important of the dense network of towns and cities that in this region are considered cities of Art. It was one of the most important artistic centres of the Renaissance period.
Ferrara is a town of water intimately linked to its river, the Po.

The river has, over the centuries, defined the curves of its Middle Age streets and alleys lead to the restoration its modern tourist port of San Paolo and fed the canals that surround it and stretch as far as the Adriatic Sea and the Po Delta Park.
Buildings and monuments; The Estense Castle, the ancient, fourteenth century fortress residence to the Dukes of the Este dynasty in the sixteenth century and the splendid Gothic/Roman Cathedral dominate the centre of this town. The Duke Ercole built the wide roads that lead away from the castle during his expansion drive and Ferrara became “ Europe's most modern city” of the Renaissance. It also received the prestigious UNESCO recognition as “ World Heritage Site” in 1995.