Cities

Ferrara, only 25km from our facility, is a human-scale city that can be easily visited on foot; we recommend the use of bicycles as it is called “The City of Bicycles.”

It was the capital of the Duchy of Ferrara during the Este period, when it represented an important political, artistic and cultural center. The urban development that took place during the Renaissance, the Addizione Erculea, transformed the city into an urban model that earned it the title of “Europe’s first modern capital.” In 1995 it obtained UNESCO World Heritage recognition for the historic center, and in 1999 it obtained a second for the Po delta and its Este delights.

Here’s what we recommend seeing: Castello Estense; Cathedral of St. George Martyr; the Piazza Municipale and the grand staircase; the cathedral museum; Via delle volte; Corso Ercole I d’Este; Palazzo Diamanti; the Foschini rotunda; and the walls surrounding the city!

If you need more guidance, please ask at the front desk!

Ravenna, an Emilia-Romagna city just a few kilometers from the Adriatic Sea, is 1 hour and 40 minutes by car from our facility.

Ravenna always starts with mosaics. They are, net of all, the cross and delight of this city. The routes are many and not always linear. There are those who decide to have their souls stolen by the stars of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia or by the magnificence of the Basilica of San Vitale; those who lose themselves, spinning around, in the domes of the Baptistery of the Orthodox or that of the Arians; those who walk, back and forth, with their gaze the processions of martyrs and virgins in the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo; and still those who compare the privacy of the Chapel of Sant’Andrea to the majesty of the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe.

If you need more guidance, please ask at the front desk!

A city full of charm that conveys art and history among its streets: Padua is 1 hour and 10 minutes by car from our facility as well as being reachable by train.

Visiting Padua brings you in touch with the highest values of the Veneto region and some of the greatest masterpieces of art of all time. Padua is a veritable monument to every historical era it has experienced, a treasure chest that holds priceless treasures for more than two thousand years of history.

Since 1222 it has been the seat of a prestigious university that quickly transformed it into one of the major centers of European culture, both in the fields of letters and science (Galileo Galilei). To best enjoy one of the most distinctive aspects of the city one should plan a visit to Padua while there are university classes and the streets and squares of the center are crowded with students strolling or stopping at clubs to consume the typical aperitif, the spritz.

Another aspect you will immediately become aware of during a visit to Padua is the city’s religious tradition, dating back to the providential intervention of Franciscan Anthony against the rampant phenomenon of usury in the early 13th century. Made a saint just a year after his death, the Basilica of St. Anthony was built to receive his remains, an imposing and very important spiritual monument that encompasses several architectural styles (Romanesque, Gothic, Byzantine, Moorish) and preserves many works of art: the saint’s church is now a destination for pilgrims from all over the world.

Those who come to visit Padua then know that, again of a sacred nature, the city has the most important cycle of frescoes by Giotto, created in the early 1300s and contained within the Scrovegni Chapel.

Near the chapel, on the other hand, and specifically inside the Church of the Eremitani, are paintings by Andrea Mantenga and Giusto de’ Menabuoi (who also frescoed the cathedral’s Baptistery). We also recommend a visit to the adjacent Museo Civico degli Eremitani, where artifacts from the Paleovenetian and Roman civilizations are on display; the Pinacoteca, where Giotto’s wooden crucifix is housed; and the Palazzo della Ragione (13th), the city’s court erected in 1218. At Palazzo del Bo’, home of the Athenaeum, you can see the Teatro Anatomico, built in 1594 and used until 1872, and the chair of Galileo Galilei. *

If you need more guidance, please ask at the front desk!

*The texts given are fully or partially copied from the website: https://www.venetoinside.com/it/scopri-il-veneto/venezia-e-citta-darte/padova/visita-padova/

Mantua is a city in Lombardy, 1 hour and 15 minutes away from our facility, which with its Renaissance air entered the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2008 and in 2016 elected as Italy’s Capital of Culture.

The city was ruled by the Gonzaga family for more than four centuries, who made it a hub of art and literature; in fact, we recommend seeing the Castle of San Giorgio; Piazza Sordello; the Ducal Palace; the Cathedral and Piazza delle Erbe, as well as the rotunda of San Lorenzo.

The city’s sights are certainly not finished here, but you can ask for all directions at the reception desk!

Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna, is a cultural, gastronomic and historical center that is a 1-hour drive from our facility!

If you decide to spend a day in this city, you cannot miss Piazza Maggiore, the center of numerous points of interest; in fact, it is famous for the Fountain of Neptune, overlooked by the most important buildings of the medieval city: the 14th-century Palazzo Comunale, the 16th-century Palazzo dei Banchi and the imposing Basilica of San Petronio in front of which the Palazzo del Podestà stretches out.

These are all buildings that testify to the city’s history, a history that began in the 1200s when the people felt the need to equip the city with a space to be used as a market. All the buildings that constituted it were purchased by the city and then torn down, and it was not until the 15th century that Piazza Maggiore took on the austere form it still retains today. Despite its historical importance, it seems that the Piazza brings bad luck to students attending Bologna’s celebrated University. According to legend, one should never cross the Square by going through the center, but always skirting it, because otherwise one can say “goodbye” to the much coveted degree.

If you need more guidance, please ask at the front desk!

A city of art, the land of motors and taste, Modena is 1 hour 10 minutes’ drive from the property.

Amidst grand architectural works, which have become UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a vibrant cultural life, a tasty welcome and new discoveries related to the excellence of the area, let yourself be fascinated by the mixture of tradition and innovation that characterizes our city!
If you are a fan of art and architecture you will love its priceless treasures appreciated all over the world. One above all the Duomo, declared together with the Ghirlandina tower and Piazza Grande a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, which is a masterpiece of Italian Romanesque architecture. Then there is the seventeenth-century Ducal Palace, now the seat of the Military Academy, once the Estense Court, which moved to Modena from Ferrara in 1598, and again the Estensi Galleries, custodians of valuable works of art.
If, on the other hand, you like to “travel by food” on Modenese tables you will find unique products such as Balsamic Vinegar (PDO and PGI), Parmigiano Reggiano, Lambrusco, Prosciutto di Modena or Tortellini.

If you are also a motor lover, you will be fascinated by the incredible stories of Modenese ingenuity such as those of Ferrari, Maserati, Pagani and Stanguellini. The birthplace of Enzo Ferrari, Modena is indeed a place where the passion for mechanics has a long tradition and the myth of speed is an integral part of its culture.

In addition to the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena and the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, within a radius of a few kilometers you can visit various places related to engines, factories, museums, and private collections such as the Maserati factory and showroom, the Umberto Panini Museum of vintage cars and motorcycles, the Stanguellini Museum, the Righini Collection, Pagani Automobili, and the new Modena Autodrome.*

If you need more guidance, please ask at the front desk!

*The texts given are fully or partially copied from the website https://emiliaromagnaturismo.it/it/localita/modena

Venice certainly does not need our introduction, but it is certainly another one of the many cities you can easily visit while staying here with us, being 1 hour and 30 minutes away!

Venice is the artistic and cultural city par excellence, it is the city that welcomes tourists from all over the world to welcome them to its lagoon waters; Venice is represented by the bacari, the gondolas and the mask of Harlequin: in short, Venice is simply Venice!

If you need more guidance, please ask at the front desk!