Starting from
Porta Paola
Tour length
9 km
Duration
3 hours walking, 1:30 hours by bike

Transport methods

With their nine kilometers surrounded by the embankments' green area, the walls enclose Ferrara almost entirely, creating one of the most complex and interesting circuits in our country. You can choose the rampart, which unravels over the green field near the walls, or walk on the tree-lined embankment, perfect for sporty people during the warmest days. These are two very different perspectives to enjoy new views of the city.
Experience the walls in every moment of the day: from the evanescent mists of the morning, to the red lights of the sunset. Each season gives the walls a new and different look.

Where to start:
The Walls Documentation Centre inside Porta Paola will have all you need to start your tour. From here, move towards the Bagni Ducali: you will see the traditional spade-shaped bastions of the southern walls, parallel to the river. From the San Giovanni Tower to the Barco Tower it will seem to be into the woods, surrounded by lush vegetation and different types of birds. The tall buildings that run along the north-west side of the walls remind you of the modern life of the city, alternating errands to relax.
This route is perfect for the outdoor lovers: key word? Stay active! Rely on the words of a tour guide to fully appreciate the itinerary.
It is easy to go in and out of the walls and discover new sides of Ferrara thanks to the following four openings: Porta Paola, Corso Giovecca, Porta degli Angeli, Porta Catena.
Not enough time? Focus on the right quadrant of the city: the path above and/or below the walls will offer a complete overview of the walls, Corso Porta Reno and Corso Ercole I d’Este cross the city centre, providing an access to the many points of interest and connecting Porta Paola to Porta degli Angeli.

The Walls' doorways, bastions and towers

Along the route it is possible to recognize all the defensive techniques from the 15th and 16th century: historical doorways, bastions, towers. The northern walls, built between 1493 and 1505 during the Renaissance Addition, stand out for their short semi-circular towers, for the sentinels' long patrol route, for the wide tree-lined embankments and Porta degli Angeli, at the end of Corso Ercole I d'Este. The eastern side of the walls was built by Alfonso I d'Este at the beginning of the 16th century; the southern walls stand out for four big spade-shaped bastions, built by Alfonso II's will between 1575 and 1585. At the walls' southern entrance stands Porta Paola, built after Ferrara's devolution to the Papal State; on the western side two bastions meet: they were once part of a great pentagonal fortress, demolished during Napoleon's age.
Porta Paola
Step 1

Porta Paola