The Walls of Ferrara

The Walls of Ferrara are approximately 9 km long and have remained almost unchanged, appearing today as they did in the medieval era. Equipped with numerous defensive bastions, especially in the southern part, they were entirely surrounded by a moat in ancient times and adorned with significant access gates such as Porta Paola in the south, Porta San Giovanni in the east, and Porta degli Angeli in the north.

The northern walls were largely built between 1493 and 1505 as part of the Herculean Addition designed by Biagio Rossetti. They are characterized by semicircular turrets and a long walkway for the sentinels. At the north-western end, the Torrione del Barco stands out, an important example of military architecture transitioning between the 15th and 16th centuries. Noteworthy to the north is Porta degli Angeli, and to the east, the Torrione di San Giovanni, whose circular structure is typical of Renaissance architecture. On the nearby square today stands a statue of Giorgio de Chirico.

The eastern section of the walls was conceived by Alfonso I d'Este between 1512 and 1518. This section includes the artificial mound of the Baluardo della Montagna. The southern fortifications are characterized by four impressive bastions in the shape of a spade, built by Alfonso II between 1575 and 1585. Along this stretch is Porta di San Pietro, which connects the city to the river Volano.

In the south part of the Walls there is Porta Paola, built in 1612 based on a design by Giovan Battista Aleotti after Ferrara became part of the Papal States. The section of the walls leading westward has undergone the most transformations. Here, you can find two bastions that were part of a grand pentagonal fortress, later demolished during the Napoleonic era.
Today, the walls constitute a meeting place, a tranquil garden with well-equipped paths and cycle tracks that allow for strolls between the red stones and the green of the local vegetation.