After the Ferrara Marathon: Ferrara

The Route: Castello Estense → Palazzo dei Diamanti → Renaissance walls Logistics: Everything sits within a few kilometres of the finish on level ground. Walk, or hire a bicycle, which is what most of the city does. Marathon Month: February Duration: Day trip

Castello Estense ──(walk 10 mins)──> Palazzo dei Diamanti ──(walk 15 mins)──> Renaissance walls

Ferrara is a city that was planned. In the late fifteenth century, Duke Ercole I d'Este doubled its size and had it laid out on rational lines, and the result is often described as one of the first planned cities of modern Europe. It is also as flat as a table, because it stands on the Po plain. On the day after a marathon, that is the whole reason to stay.

February in Ferrara: cold and often foggy, with daytime temperatures of about 3 to 9 °C. When the fog lifts, the brick is a warm pink. Take a proper coat and gloves, and expect the light to be low by mid-afternoon.

The day

Start where the race finished, at the Castello Estense. It is a moated brick castle with four corner towers, built as the Este family's stronghold, and it dominates the centre. Check the current opening days and ticket price, and note that there are stairs inside.

From the castle, the Corso Ercole I d'Este runs north in a straight line, the axis of the fifteenth-century extension. The Palazzo dei Diamanti stands at the crossing. It is a palace whose façade is covered in thousands of pyramid-shaped blocks of white stone, cut so that they catch the light. The palace hosts exhibitions and the national picture gallery, and it was passed by runners in the first kilometre of the marathon. Check what is on and the opening days.

Palazzo Schifanoia, on the eastern side, was a pleasure palace of the Este court and is known for a hall of frescoes showing the months of the year. Check the hours, since civic museums often close on Mondays.

The city walls run for about nine kilometres around the old centre and are largely intact. The path along the top is level, wide and flat, and it is a good place for a slow walk or a bicycle ride. Take a section only, and use the bicycle if you want a longer loop. Bikes can be hired at several shops and hotels in the centre.

Ferrara's cooking is distinctive. Cappellacci di zucca, pasta stuffed with pumpkin and served with butter and sage, is the classic. Salama da sugo is a soft cured pork sausage cooked slowly and served on mashed potato. Coppia ferrarese is a crusty, twisted bread. Check whether your chosen restaurant is open on a Monday.

Getting on

The railway station is on the north side of the old centre, about a 15-minute walk from the castle, with trains to Bologna and Ravenna. Check trenitalia.com for times.