I didnt know much about Ferrara, just what I had read in the guide book and that my host Mum said it was a nice city. I wanted to have a couple of nights in a place that was half way between Bologna and Venice, and I had thought Parma or Modena a good idea but had heard they werent that great from many people...I guess I only wanted to go for the possibility of a "parma" hahaha.
So Ferrara seemed like a good idea and it was close enough to Ravenna for a day trip and I had heard and read lots of good things about Ravenna.
So I did the long trek from the station to the hostel I had booked (the one and only in town), with all of my bags, as Im sure you can all imagine knowing me, ARE numerous, not to mention HEAVY!! (especially with this computer!!)
The hostel was nice enough but EMPTY!! Yep, I was booked into a female dorm and for two of the three nights that I was in Ferrara I was in this massive room all by myself.
Ferrara was a nice city but had nothing that special to speak of...oh, the church, but EVERY italian town no matter how big or small has a pretty impressive church or cathedral or duomo...and of course the closer and closer I got to Christmas, the more markets and people out and about as families I saw.
I had a recommendation from the guys at the hostel for a good local restaurant where they knew the owners and told me to say I was from the hostel. SO my first night being a Saturday night I thought what better chance to go out for a meal, so treked to the other side of town for some local fare and found 'Trattoria degli Angeli' and ate a nice local dish of sausages (skinless) and mash and had some lovely red wine and was looked after very well by the staff.
When I went to leave, the chef in the open kitchen asked where I was from and when I told him Australia he got VERY excited because he had a friend there in Ferrara who was australian and could play the digeridoo and did Aboriginal painting and had promised to come and paint one of the walls of the restaurant cos the chef loved it so much. So I got chatting with them (him in english and me in italian haha) and they made me promise I would come back on my last night in Ferrara for another meal. It was a very nice experience to feel known in such a small town, especially when I am by myself most of the time. I did return and had another very nice meal...oh, and I ordered 'Melanzane alla Parmigiana' (Eggplant Parmigiana) but was informed they were all out...I was very disappointed thinking that it was my chance to have as close to a "Parma in Parma" hahaha
I saw a very good Turner exhibition that just happened to be on, with his works from his time in Italy, some other very impressive galleries and some very wierd modern exhibitions!!
And of course every italian city at this time of year has a nativity scene that they are very proud of. The one in Ferrara was definitely one of the more impressive for where it was placed...in a cave in the moat of the old castle.
I also took a day trip to Ravenna which was magnificent!!!
Ravenna is know for its mosaics, its mosaics in the old churches and they were amazing!!!
Yes, that is ALL mosaic!! And the gold, is real gold!!
There were quite a few churches all with amazing mosaics but I was blown away most by the first one (in the photos above, but they dont do it justice!!). It all made me want to try mosaicing when I get home...Im sure it is not easy, particularly how detailed they had made it.
I had a beautiful weather in Ravenna, well the sun was out anyway. And I did the povo thing to save a bit of cash and had a picnic lunch...tuna, biscuits, tomato and lettuce, oh and water and a pear!! haha
Sometimes some of the best bits of my adventures are what I see when I am on the train between places and it isnt always easy to capture how beautiful the countryside is out a train window...
Ci vediamo
Jo xox
No comments:
Post a Comment