{"id":50589,"date":"2026-06-11T18:41:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magictowns.it\/?p=50589"},"modified":"2026-06-11T18:41:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:41:30","slug":"what-people-say-about-living-in-ferrara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magictowns.it\/it\/what-people-say-about-living-in-ferrara\/","title":{"rendered":"What People Say About Living in Ferrara"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between the famous Bologna and Venice, there’s a beautiful, livable, and quite affordable town that’s not yet well known among expats. This is Ferrara<\/a><\/strong>, a city of around 129,000 inhabitants, perfect for anyone looking for a place that’s ben collegato<\/strong>, where you don’t necessarily need a car for daily life, and full of history – from the Este Castle to the medieval walls and the wide Renaissance streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get a real sense of what daily life here looks like, we combined our city data with reviews from people who’ve actually lived there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SCOPRITE QUAL \u00c8 LA CITT\u00c0 ITALIANA CHE FA PER VOI<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Life in Ferrara: What People Say<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first thing people notice about Ferrara<\/a><\/strong> is how easy it is to actually move around. The historic centre is almost entirely car-free<\/strong>, and locals cycle everywhere. It’s flat, compact<\/strong>, and the kind of place where you don’t have to stress too much about getting from one place to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il posizione<\/strong> helps a lot too. Sitting between Bologna<\/a>, Venezia<\/a>, Padova<\/a>, e Ravenna<\/a><\/strong>, Ferrara gives you easy access to some of the best of northern Italy without actually being in any of those cities – which, from a cost-of-living perspective, is a real advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Ferrara is genuinely lovely and surprisingly easy to live in. The location is a big plus – Bologna, Parma<\/a>, Padua, Venice, Ravenna are all within easy reach.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Culturally, there’s more going on than you might expect from a city this size – from museums, to events, and great restaurants: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Beautiful city. The food is incredible (but that’s Emilia-Romagna for you, it’s just on another level). And there’s actually a lot going on culturally<\/strong> – museum events, festivals, a real buzz – which has picked up a lot since the new mayor came in.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That said, this is still a mid-sized provincial city, not a cosmopolitan hub. The comunit\u00e0 di espatriati<\/a><\/strong> exists, but it’s not large, and integrating into daily life here means getting used to Italian rhythms rather than finding an English-speaking bubble. It also comes up as a good place for families<\/strong>. Quiet, safe for the most part, schools that rank in the top 30% nationally. Not a city that will dazzle you on first arrival, but one that tends to grow on people once they’re actually living there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Transport and Connectivity in Ferrara<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ferrara is great in terms of connettivit\u00e0<\/strong>. With the local train station,<\/a><\/strong> you can easily reach cities like Bologna<\/a><\/strong> in around 30 minutes, and Venezia<\/a><\/strong> e Padova<\/a><\/strong> in under an hour. This means that even if you don’t have a car, you can just hop on a train and take a shuttle bus to the airport from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Train connections are solid – fast trains to Bologna, Venice, Padova, Florence, Rome – so it works well as a base.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

L'aeroporto pi\u00f9 vicino \u00e8 Aeroporto Guglielmo Marconi di Bologna<\/strong>, 30 minutes away by car. It’s not a huge hub, but it has quite a few connections across Europe and beyond. If you travel overseas often, you’d likely look to Venice Marco Polo instead<\/strong>, which is only 65 minutes away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within the city itself, un'auto <\/a><\/strong>is largely unnecessary. You can easily reach everything on foot or by bike if you live in the centre. And if you want to go on a day trip to one of the bigger cities, the train has you covered. However, as we explained in our last article<\/a><\/strong>, living in Italy without a car is limiting in most cases – not so much within Ferrara itself, but when it comes to freely exploring the surrounding areas. Factor that into your budget if you’re planning a move to Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where to Live in Ferrara: Housing & Cost of Living<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Property prices in Ferrara are quite affordable <\/strong>compared to nearby cities. The average price is around \u20ac1,744\/m\u00b2,<\/strong> so for a 100m\u00b2 flat you’d be looking at around \u20ac174,400.<\/strong> However, as you can see in the table below, there are much cheaper areas – and prices can drop even further if you consider nearby towns like Voghiera<\/strong> (\u20ac754\/m\u00b2) or Portomaggiore<\/a><\/strong> (\u20ac832\/m\u00b2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zona<\/th>Prezzo di vendita (\u20ac\/m\u00b2)<\/th>Affitto (\u20ac\/m\u00b2)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Centro<\/td>\u20ac2,234<\/td>\u20ac10.63<\/td><\/tr>
Fuori Mura Est<\/td>\u20ac2,014<\/td>\u20ac10.13<\/td><\/tr>
Fuori Mura Sud<\/td>\u20ac1,760<\/td>\u20ac10.51<\/td><\/tr>
Ferrara Sud, Fabbri, Fossanova<\/td>\u20ac1,424<\/td>\u20ac6.11<\/td><\/tr>
Via Modena<\/a>, Stazione<\/td>\u20ac1,381<\/td>\u20ac8.87<\/td><\/tr>
Cona<\/a>, Villanova, Pontegradella<\/td>\u20ac1,331<\/td>\u20ac8.39<\/td><\/tr>
Boara, Francolino, Correggio<\/a><\/td>\u20ac1,216<\/td>\u20ac8.08<\/td><\/tr>
Porotto, Arginone<\/td>\u20ac1,136<\/td>\u20ac8.25<\/td><\/tr>
Casaglia, Pontelagoscuro<\/td>\u20ac1,055<\/td>\u20ac7.99<\/td><\/tr>
San Martino, San Bartolomeo<\/td>\u20ac1,101<\/td>\u20ac8.26<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Data from Immobiliare.it<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il historic centre <\/strong>is, as always, the most expensive zone. But it’s beautiful, walkable, well-served – basically, it’s the price you pay for living somewhere you’ll never need to move your car at all. Fuori Mura Est and Sud,<\/strong> the areas just outside the medieval walls, are also well-priced for what they offer: you’re still close to everything but in quieter, more residential streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the most affordable options, the peripheral zones like Casaglia or Porotto<\/strong> drop below \u20ac1,100\/m\u00b2, and rents follow a similar pattern. Disponibilit\u00e0 di alloggi<\/a><\/strong> here is pretty high, which is another advantage over Bologna, where finding something decent at a reasonable price is noticeably harder. However, keep in mind that Ferrara is also a university city,<\/strong> so availability can tighten at certain times of year – do your research before you start looking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“For long-term stays, accommodation is definitely more affordable than Bologna or Venice.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Challenges of Living in Ferrara<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The single thing that comes up most often is the clima<\/a><\/strong>, especially in winter. Ferrara sits in the Po valley, <\/strong>an area well-known for fog – real, dense, persistent fog<\/strong> that rolls in during autumn and doesn’t fully leave until spring. So if you’re expecting that beautiful, sunny Italian climate, Ferrara might not be for you.<\/a> Il summer side<\/strong> of that coin is its own issue: hot and humid. Not unbearably so compared to the deep south, but unlike the south you don’t have a crystal-clear sea on your doorstep to make up for it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Winter in Ferrara is something else. The fog doesn’t just visit – it moves in and stays for months. I lived there three years. You need to be prepared for that.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another downside is qualit\u00e0 dell'aria<\/strong>. The Po valley generally has some of the worst air quality in northern Italy, due to its geography and the concentration of industry and agriculture in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“One thing people don’t talk about enough: the air quality in the Po valley is rough. I spent a year in Rovigo<\/a>, just down the road, and it was a real issue for me. Worth considering if that kind of thing affects you.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Il flat landscape<\/strong> – the entire Po delta and surrounding area – is also something to think about if you value hills, hiking, or varied terrain. There’s a spiaggia<\/strong> about 42 minutes away at Porto Garibaldi, and mountain resorts exist further out, but the immediate surroundings of Ferrara are flat and largely agricultural.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infine, flood risk <\/strong>is worth factoring in. Emilia-Romagna has unfortunately dealt with this more than once in recent years – the last major event in the region was in 2024. If you love the area and want to settle here, just go in with your eyes open.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ferrara by the Numbers: Key Data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n