Today we had planned to visit Verona, so after a late start, we made our way to the train station only to discover Trenitalia was on strike.  Oh well, there was nothing we could do but return home and come up with a Plan B, which was to hang out in Ferrara and visit more of the sites we hadn’t had time for yesterday and Friday.  This turned out to be a good way to spend a lovely Sunday.

Our first stop was the Palazzo dei Diamanti on the Corso Ercole I d’Este, a building commissioned by Sigismondo d’Este around 1493 and designed by the architect and town planner Biagio Rossetti. Today, the palace houses the National Art Gallery, but they were not participating in Settimana della Cultura so we didn’t go in. Can you guess why the building is named the “Palace of Diamonds”? The pattern is almost mesmerizing.

Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara

Still in the Renaissance section of the city, we next headed north on the Corso and in two blocks turned east onto Viale Certosa toward the Tempio di San Cristoforo alla Certosa. This imposing structure was built as a Carthusian monastery in 1452; the church dedicated to Saint Christopher was completed toward the end of the 16th century. On this cloudy Sunday afternoon there weren’t many people about, and none of the cats who can often be spotted lounging on the grass here.

Tempio di San Cristoforo alla Certosa, Ferrara

The Certosa site includes a cemetery, and some of the burial sites are rather impressive-looking mausoleums.

Tempio di San Cristoforo alla Certosa, Ferrara

By then it was past noon, so we headed back to the apartment. After lunching on a tasty salad made with watercress, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and home-made dressing, we decided to go out again in the now sunny afternoon to the Piazza Ariostea. Under the watchful gaze of the Ariosto statue, my niece extolled the beauties of Ariosto’s poem Orlando Furioso and read me the memorable opening lines of the epic. The park is a popular place for city residents, who come here to stroll, ride bikes, roller skate, skateboard, and climb up on the statue. We sat in the sun and watched families, couples, and groups of young people, and also enjoyed very tasty gelato for an afternoon snack. Of course, we also clambered up onto the statue and immediately noticed a large array of lizards basking in the sun at the statue’s base (I don’t know what species this is).

Piazza Ariostea, Ferrara

When we returned home, I was so tired that I dozed off while reading email. For dessert tonight, we had some of the tiramisù that we made yesterday — it was excellent! Kudos to the bakers.