We start our journey in Ferrara, with a visit to what might easily be considered the city's most famous landmark. The beautifully conserved Estense Castle, one of few moated castles in Europe, was built as court and residence of the Este family and now provides the stunning location for high profile conferences and international cultural events. In 1995, the historic center of Ferrara was awarded World Heritage Status by UNESCO, in recognition of the incredible number of medieval and renaissance works of art and architecture conserved within its walls. Featuring high on the list of sites to see we find the fresco cycle in Palazzo Schifanoia, where the Civic Museum of Antique Art is housed, the Loggia dei Merciai, the Cathedral of San Giorgio, and the Palazzo dei Diamanti, home to the National Picture Gallery.
To reach the area's impressive nature reserves, we take the road through land transformed by the great land reclamation of the early 1900's. The town of Tresigallo, often referred to as the "20th Century City", was part of this project - completely rebuilt in the 1930s according to the rationalist architectural principals in vogue at the time.
The Benedictine abbey of Pomposa, just a few kilometers from Codigoro, is one of the most important monastic complexes in Italy and where the medieval monk and music theorist Guido D'Arezzo invented the musical notation, still used to this very day. A masterpiece of Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, the Pomposa is comprised of a Basilica, bell tower, chapter house, refectory, dormitory and Palazzo della Ragione.
Following along the old Romea road, we reach Mesola, famous for the 16th century castle, which once served as the impressive summer residence of the d'Este family. The town lies on the border with the Boscone della Mesola nature reserve, home to an impressive variety of wildlife, including a large community of deers, porcupines and foxes.
From the colorful coastal town of Goro, boat excursions depart, transporting passengers on a voyage up the Po river, visiting the so-called Sacca, a shallow lagoon which covers some 2600 hectares of terrain and represents one of the world's most important wetlands, rich in aquatic bird life.
Traveling southwards along the coast, we pass by the oasis of Caneviè, to reach the Valle Bertuzzi, a
