Ferrara is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It's mostly agricultural with some heavy industry; the main reason to visit is the city of Ferrara, and there are several natural areas to explore.

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Map of Ferrara (province)

• 44.83916711.61751 Ferrara is a beautiful city, embellished by the Este dynasty, yet it escapes the tourist hordes.
• 44.88311.4172 Bondeno has a 17th-century fortress. The town was damaged by the earthquake of 2012.
• 44.73311.2833 Cento has much medieval artwork by Guercino.
• 44.711.84 Portomaggiore is a historic river port long disputed between Ravenna and Ferrara.
• 44.92055612.235 Mesola has a castle built by the Estes.
• 44.8312.126 Codigoro has a 9th-century Abbey, the Bishop's Palace, and the 18th-century Finance Tower.
• 44.712.1837 Comacchio is a delta town on 13 islands.

The Province of Ferrara has several natural areas to explore:

• 44.590911.80931 Po Delta Regional Park is a vast protected area between the Po di Goro, the mouths of the Reno, the Lamone, the Fiumi Uniti and the Adriatic. The park, established in 1998, includes 18,000 hectares of Emilia-Romagna with vast vegetation and a rich animal presence, particularly birdlife. In the area there are notable monuments such as the Pomposa Abbey and the Pieve di San Giorgio. It was included in the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1999.
• 44.615312.16692 Comacchio Valleys in Comacchio and extending to the province of Ravenna, constitute a vast green area of 11,000 hectares, characterized by four main valleys (Lido di Magnavacca, Fossa di Porto, Campo and Fattibello) and by the high presence of animals, birds in particular. In the Comacchio area, eel fishing is very active.
• 44.84983512.252763 The Bosco della Mesola Nature Reserve extends between the municipalities of Goro, Codigoro and Mesola, covering a territorial extension of 1058 hectares.
• 44.889511.62774 The Isola Bianca oasis is a wildlife protection area managed by Lipu. It covers an area of 360 hectares and is included in the hamlet of Pontelagoscuro in the Municipality of Ferrara near the Po.
• 44.78136811.3830785 The Bosco della Panfilia near Sant'Agostino recalls the ancient Po Valley forests destroyed by human activity. It was formed about three centuries ago and its name derives from a famous flood of the Po di Primaro that occurred in 1750 and overwhelmed the palace and lands of the Marquis Panfilio Fachinetti.
• 44.667811.89666 The Oasi di Porto is an area of naturalistic interest located on the border between the municipality of Portomaggiore and the municipality of Argenta . It includes a series of small islands connected by wooden bridges. It is frequented by tourists, fishermen and birdwatchers. The area is one of the few in the Province of Ferrara, together with the Anse Vallive, not to record the presence of the catfish and the American red shrimp.

The flat, fertile plain of the River Po has always been one of the most productive and populous areas of Italy. The Romans brought the valley under their control from 200 BC, cutting a road javelin-straight from Piacenza to the coast at Rimini. Ferrara was some way north of this route and seems to have been a quiet provincial place until 8th century documents record its capture by the Lombards. The problem may have been the flood-prone and malarial lower stretches of the Po, with large-scale drainage only beginning in the 19th century. The area was ruled by the Este family until 1598 then by the Pope until early modern times – and the Este wealth remained vast enough for the archdukes of Austria-Hungary to adopt that name when they married into the family.

The province in 2016 had a population of around 354,000. In May 2012 the province suffered two earthquakes, with the worst of the damage around Bondeno and in the neighbouring Province of Modena.

Trenitalia regional trains run from Ferrara to Bondeno, Portomaggiore and Codigoro.

Mi Muovo is an integrated public transport pass for the region. Short-stay visitors might use "Mi Muovo Multibus", a 12-trip bus ticket, see Emilia Romagna#Get around.

• Ferrara's top sights are the Este Castle and the Diamond Palace.
• Portomaggiore has the Pleasure Palace, Delizia del Verginese.
• Bondeno has the mighty star fortress.
• Codigoro has a 9th century abbey.

• There are several beaches near Comacchio, called the Lidi commachiesi or Lidi ferraresi. These can be reached by car or by bus service.
• Football: SPAL based in Ferrara play soccer in Serie C, Italy's third tier. For Serie A games head for Bologna.

• Pasticcio is shortcrust pastry filled with pasta topped with meat sauce, mushrooms and béchamel.
• Cappellacci are pasta stuffed with pumpkin.
• Salama da sugo is a salami made with fillet, pulp, tongue and red wine, boiled and surrounded by mashed potatoes, usually eaten at Christmas.
• Panpepato is a traditional dessert, with chocolate and dried fruit and nuts also usually eaten at Christmas.
• Tenerina is a traditional local chocolate cake.

• Lots of good wine from Emilia-Romagna. Commachio produces Bosco Eliceo, a DOC red which unusually goes well with fish.

Standard advice about traffic and care of valuables.

• Bologna, Padua and Ravenna are the obvious choices.