Around the World : November 2013

      So before I post about my amazing adventures in Amsterdam with my friends I wanted to write a quick post about a day trip to Ferrara. The day after Halloween I made plans to go with the guy I met in Florence to go to Ferrara. I had a lovely time in Ferrara and I really enjoyed the city. Long story short is we met in Ferrara around eleven o'clock and walked to the town center. I made it clear to him from the beginning that we were only friends. He was a little upset about everything but oh well, it was my decision. Anyway we had a lovely day, had a nice lunch, and saw the main sites of Ferrara and I returned back to Bologna before dark. I highly recommend you visit this hidden city if you are ever near Bologna.
    Ferrara is located in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy and it is about 50 kilometers northeast of Bologna on the Po River. The town is known as one of the bike capital's of the world. Everyone rides a bike, and if you are not careful where you are walking you will get hit by one. The town is also surrounded by more than 9 kilometers of ancient walls built in the 15th and 16th centuries. The town is small with very few attractions to see. The main attractions I saw were Il Castello Estense, the Romanesque cathedral (Duomo of Ferrara), the Palazzo del Municipio, the Colonie del Municipio and the Ferrara Synagogue and Jewish Museum.
    The Jewish museum was by far the most interesting site for me. The Jewish community in Ferrara has a long history dating back to 1598 when the Este dynast moved to Modena and the city came under papal control. The Jewish settlement which is located in three streets that form a triangle near the cathedral became a ghetto in 1627. The ghetto lasted until Italian unification in 1859. Also in 1938 the Mussolini government reintroduced segregation of Jews and during the world war two 96 of 300 Jews in Ferrara were deported to the Nazi concentration camps. The Ferrara synagogue is the sole surviving synagogue and is the only surviving representative of the several synagogues that once flourished in Ferrara. The building also houses the Jewish Museum which displays the Torah Ark of the Scola Italiana. I highly recommend reading more about the Jewish community in Ferrara if you have time to research on the internet. I also received a Jewish newspaper in Italian from the lady working in the museum. I can't wait to read it1
    Overall Ferrara is a wonderful city and I am so glad I had the chance to visit this hidden treasure. Please stay tuned for more posts coming soon! I love and miss you all!
Con tanto amore,
Samantha