After the Ravenna Marathon: Ferrara and Bologna

The Route: Ravenna → Ferrara (1 night) → Bologna (2 nights) → home Logistics: Regional trains link Ravenna to Ferrara, and Ferrara to Bologna in under an hour. Check the timetable for Sunday and Monday services and for any change you need to make. Bags can go to a left-luggage point if checkout and train times do not match. Marathon Month: November Duration: 3 nights

Ravenna ──(regional train)──> Ferrara (1 night)
                                   │
                  Castello Estense ── cathedral ── city walls
                                   │
Ferrara ──(train, under an hour)──> Bologna (2 nights)

Ferrara is a city where bicycles outnumber cars in the centre, and the best way to see the old streets is on the saddle at walking pace. A Renaissance duke, Ercole I d'Este, commissioned an enlarged and planned extension of the medieval town in the late fifteenth century, laid out by the architect Biagio Rossetti, and that extension is one reason the city centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The streets are wide, flat and lined with brick palaces.

For a runner, the flatness is the draw. The walls make a car-free circuit of roughly nine kilometres, which is better for a bicycle than for legs that have just run 42.

November in Ferrara: fog drifts across the Po plain, and the mornings can be thick and cold. Days are short. The brick looks warmer in low sun. Pack a coat.

Getting there

From Ravenna, trains run to Ferrara on a regional line, with a journey time of roughly an hour and a quarter, depending on the service. Check the current timetable. Buy tickets in advance at the station or on the Trenitalia app.

Night one: Ferrara

The Castello Estense, a moated brick fortress in the centre, has a drawbridge and is open for visits, with hours that vary. The cathedral facade is pink-white marble with carved figures, and stands next to the Piazza delle Erbe. Rent a bicycle for an hour from a shop in the centre, and ride the walls. A bicycle takes the weight off tired legs.

Dinner should be local. Cappellacci di zucca, pumpkin-filled pasta with butter and sage, is the regional dish. Salama da sugo, a rich cured pork preparation, is a traditional winter dish. Book on weekends.

Where to stay in Ferrara

Pick a hotel near the castle or the cathedral, and check whether it has a lift and a bicycle store. Many places in the centre are small and family-run, so confirm winter opening.

Nights two and three: Bologna

Take a train to Bologna, under an hour, and settle into a hotel near the centre. See the Bologna itinerary for walking, porticoes and food. Plan one museum, one long lunch and one slow stroll per day, and keep the stairs and towers off the list.

Getting back