The centre of Ferrara, with its narrow winding streets is perfect for a walk. Our tour today starts from Piazza Trento Trieste and takes us along the side of the magnificent Cathedral towards the Jewish ghetto, where the Jews lived in segregation from the rest of the city from 1627 to 1859. Our first stop is in Via Mazzini, in the heart of the ghetto and home of

An exhibition fit for Queens

Ferrara prepares to welcome Queen Sonja of Norway, who will return the favour by officially opening an important new exhibition in Palazzo dei Diamanti - ‘From Dahl to Munch - Romanticism, Realism and Symbolism in Norwegian Landscape Painting Scandinavian moonscapes and the flatlands of Northern Italy seen with the one melancholic eye? Who knows. One thing's for sure, this exhibition gives the visitor a unique chance to explore a land that has been sadly neglected by the art world - Norway. The show, which is due to run from October 26th to January 13th, celebrates a century of landscape painting, from Dahl's romantic works to Munch's symbolist masterpieces. In a recent interview in C@rnet, the monthly art review, Sonja di Glückburg (who is an art historian and contemporary art collector as well as reigning monarch) said: "Art is my hideaway, the private side of my life as queen. (...) My vision of nature is in many respects similar to Munch's, sombre yet passionate and engaging ..." So here's to Munch, and his wonderful The fjord in winter (1915), which the Queen describes as "one of his most vibrant works which reflects how at one he was with nature." The interview continues with the Queen confessing that she herself identifies: "with a nature that offers comfort, a refuge where we can regenerate ourselves without being overcome." Fans of Edvard Munch will also enjoy ‘Edvard Munch - The Self and the Others in Verona until January 6th, 2002.

Ferrara's Jewish Museum. You can visit the museum any morning between Sunday and Thursday (guided tours only).
The inscriptions outside the museum pay tribute to those who died in the Holocaust, a sharp contrast to the tolerance of the Estense family who had welcomed the Jews with open arms some 500 years earlier. Leaving Via Mazzini (once Via dei Sabbioni) behind we head for Via Vignatagliata and then on towards Via delle Vigne and its atmospheric old graveyard "The Jewish Garden" (Orto degli Ebrei). Ring the bell to visit, the cemetery is open every day except Saturday.

Feeling hungry? Let's go to Ristorante Ripa Palazzo Beccari-Freguglia in Via Ripagrande. The restaurant is famous for it's home-made pasta filled with pumpkin (zucca) and salama sausage. After the feast we can walk off the calories with a brisk walk along the city walls, built at the end of the 1400s by Biagio Rossetti to defend Ferrara against the Venetians. The walls run for almost 9 kms and make for a most pleasant stroll or cycle.
Look out for Porta degli Angeli, the door through which the last Duke of Ferrara passed before the city fell under papal rule. You'll also notice four monumental ramparts between San Giorgio and Porta Paola which, along with innumerable other treasures, helped put Ferrara on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1995.

There's plenty to do and see in Ferrara in the evening. Treat yourselves to an aperitif in one of the many lively bars along the left of the Cathedral and, as darkness falls, take in the beauty of the Estense Castle even more magical in the evening light.