Le Nuvole · Diario

Tag: Ferrara events

  • What we like this month: October in Ferrara

    What we like this month: October in Ferrara

    The first foggy mornings. Bicycles with their lights already on at six. And that smell of woodsmoke drifting in from who knows where.

    October is the month when Ferrara feels more tucked in, and we like it that way. But it isn't a quiet month: the October events in Ferrara come one after another, start to finish: a city that turns into a newsroom, the lagoons lighting their fires, and a food festival to close. Here's what we like.

    The city becomes a newsroom: Internazionale

    It starts straight away. From 2 to 4 October 2026 Internazionale a Ferrara returns, the journalism festival that turns the centre into the biggest newsroom in the world. Talks, presentations, screenings, exhibitions and workshops, with journalists, writers and photographers from all over the world.

    On those days Ferrara feels like a different city. You queue for a talk, debate under the porticoes, come out of a hall with a new question in your head. A tip from those of us who are in the dining room every evening: the city fills up, and so do the tables. If you want an unhurried dinner between one talk and the next, it's worth planning ahead.

    All autumn long: the exhibition at Palazzo dei Diamanti

    For the whole month, and until 10 January 2027, Palazzo dei Diamanti is showing "Da Monet a Van Gogh a Kandinsky" (From Monet to Van Gogh to Kandinsky): 120 works, most of them from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. Between one Internazionale talk and the next, it's the perfect excuse for a morning among the paintings. We wrote here about what to see and how to plan your visit.

    Smoke from the lagoons: the last weekends of the Sagra dell'Anguilla

    In Comacchio the Sagra dell'Anguilla, the eel festival, continues for two more weekends: 3 and 4 October, 10 and 11 October 2026.

    October is the right month. In the lagoons the fishing season opens, running from October to December, with the lavorieri, the traditional fishing weirs. And at the Manifattura dei Marinati there's the Sala dei Fuochi, the Hall of Fires, with its twelve great fireplaces: eels on spits, the embers, the smoke rising and filling the room. With a name like ours, it's hard to remain unmoved.

    A Sunday among the canals of Comacchio, then an evening at the table, talking about it. The sea and the lagoons are our home ground, and in autumn you feel them more than ever.

    The colour of pumpkin

    We're a fish trattoria, but October in Ferrara has only one colour: pumpkin orange. It's the season of cappellacci di zucca ferraresi, the local pumpkin-filled pasta, PGI since 2016 (IGP in Italian): egg pasta with a filling of violina pumpkin, cheese, breadcrumbs and a hint of nutmeg. And no amaretti, unlike the tortelli from Mantua. Around here, we're particular about that.

    You'll find them all over the city, and rightly so: they're worth tasting where they've always been made. To find out more about the traditional dishes, we wrote here about what to eat in Ferrara.

    To close the month: the Ferrara Food Festival

    At the very end, from Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, the historic centre hosts the fifth edition of the Ferrara Food Festival: cooking demonstrations, tastings and local specialities, from salama da sugo, Ferrara's slow-cooked pork salami, to pampapato, the spiced chocolate cake. A nice way to say goodbye to October and open the way to winter.

    On the plate and in the glass

    In the kitchen, autumn has really arrived. Paolo follows what the sea brings and what the lagoons bring, and the off-menu specials are described in person, table by table.

    In the glass, there are two local answers. With eel, the Fortana frizzante from Bosco Eliceo: bubbles and acidity to cut through the richness. With pumpkin, the Fortana ferma, the still version, which holds up well to the sweetness of the filling. Two bottles, one season.

    Frequently asked questions

    When is Internazionale a Ferrara in 2026?
    From 2 to 4 October 2026, in the centre of Ferrara, with talks, screenings, exhibitions and workshops.

    When is the Ferrara Food Festival 2026?
    From Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, in the historic centre. It's the fifth edition.

    Do cappellacci di zucca ferraresi contain amaretti?
    No. Cappellacci di zucca ferraresi PGI contain no amaretti: that's the main difference from the tortelli di zucca of Mantua.

    If you're passing by

    October is a full month, best enjoyed slowly. If you're in town for the festival, for the sagra or just for the first fog, the table is ready. Something warm, a local bottle, and the evening drawing in early.

    We look forward to seeing you. And if you already know us, you know the best thing is when you come back.

  • What we like this month: September in Ferrara

    What we like this month: September in Ferrara

    The evenings draw in, just a little. The light gets lower, more golden. And Ferrara, after the summer, fills up again.

    September is our favourite month for starting over. The city comes back to life by day, bicycles take back the streets, and in the countryside it's harvest time. The September events in Ferrara follow the same rhythm: a market that brings Europe to the avenue, the grape harvest scenting the evenings, and at the end of the month the lagoons waking up with the eel. Here is what we like.

    Europe on the avenue: the Mercato Europeo

    From 18 to 20 September 2026 the Mercato Europeo, L'EuropAFerrara, returns to viale Alfonso I d'Este. Over a hundred exhibitors, stalls from half of Europe, free entry.

    It's one of those things that puts us in a good mood: you stroll under the trees along the avenue, taste a cheese you didn't know, go home with something odd in your bag. You don't need a plan. Just a free afternoon and a bit of curiosity.

    Harvest time

    September, around here, is the month of the harvest. On the sands of Bosco Eliceo too, the DOC of the Ferrara coast, where the vines grow on soil that's almost pure sand, a stone's throw from the sea.

    We love the harvest for what it promises. It's the hands of the winemakers we know, the crates full, the good tiredness at the end of the day. It's the part of wine you don't see in the glass, and it's the part we care about most. If you'd like to know more, we wrote here about the wines of the sands and the winemakers we like.

    The lagoons wake up: the Sagra dell'Anguilla

    On 26 September the season that suits us best begins. In Comacchio the Sagra dell'Anguilla, the eel festival, returns over three weekends: 26 and 27 September, 3 and 4 October, 10 and 11 October 2026.

    The eel is the queen of the lagoons. It's born a very long way away, in the Sargasso Sea, and spends years in the waters of Comacchio before being caught with the lavorieri, the ancient fishing weirs of the lagoons. The fishing season runs from October to December: the festival, in effect, is an early greeting. The anguilla marinata tradizionale delle Valli di Comacchio, the traditional marinated eel, is a Presidio Slow Food, and it alone is worth the trip.

    Our advice: a Sunday in Comacchio, on foot along the canals, and then dinner in the evening. The sea and the lagoons are our liquid landscape, and September is when they make themselves felt most.

    On the plate and in the glass

    In the kitchen it's a change of season. Summer still leaves something behind, autumn is knocking. Paolo follows what comes in, day by day, and often the best dishes are the off-menu specials, described at the table.

    In the glass, with eel, there's a ready local answer: the Fortana frizzante from Bosco Eliceo. Acidity and bubbles cut through the richness, the savouriness of the wine calls to that of the lagoon. A house pairing, and still our favourite.

    Frequently asked questions

    When is the Mercato Europeo in Ferrara in 2026?
    On 18, 19 and 20 September 2026, on viale Alfonso I d'Este. Entry is free.

    When is the Sagra dell'Anguilla in Comacchio in 2026?
    Over three weekends: 26 and 27 September, 3 and 4 October, 10 and 11 October 2026, in the centre of Comacchio.

    Which wine goes with eel?
    We like the Fortana frizzante from Bosco Eliceo: the bubbles and acidity balance the richness of the eel.

    If you're passing by

    September is the month when the city comes home, and we come home with it. If you're passing by for the market, for the sagra, or just for a cooler evening, the table is ready. We talk about what came in today, open a local bottle, and it feels good to be there.

    We look forward to seeing you. No hurry.

  • What we like this month: August in Ferrara

    What we like this month: August in Ferrara

    An August evening, the shutters half closed, the air finally moving. The city is slower, and that's fine by us.

    August in Ferrara comes in two movements. The first weeks are quiet: the centre empties, those who stay walk without hurry, and we breathe a little more easily too. Then, towards the end, the city changes rhythm all at once. It's the month when the August events in Ferrara all light up together, and the streets fill with music. Here is what we like this month.

    The city lights up: the Buskers Festival

    The main event comes at the end of the month. The Ferrara Buskers Festival returns from 26 to 30 August 2026 in the historic centre: music and street art taking over the streets and squares, with the traditional preview in Comacchio in the days before.

    It's one of those moments when Ferrara is at its best. You wander with no destination, turn a corner, and there's a new sound: a violin, a choir, something you weren't expecting. The best things, often, weren't planned.

    A practical tip from those of us who are in the dining room every evening: on festival nights the centre fills up. If you want an unhurried dinner between one show and the next, it's worth planning a little ahead. Then back out, into the music.

    The call of the sea and the Lidi

    August, around here, is also something else: the longing for the sea. The Lidi ferraresi, the beaches of the Ferrara coast, are just a step away, and this is the right time to go. A day on the beach, the sound of the water, and the evening settling in slowly.

    There's a summer spirit we love: a summer night, soft lights, cool wine, a table to share. We won't give you programmes or dates for evenings by the sea; those change, and we'd rather not promise what we can't guarantee.

    What we can tell you is what the Lidi bring to the plate. The pesce azzurro dell'Adriatico, the oily fish of the Adriatic, sardoncini and anchovies, is humble cooking and local identity at once: fried and then marinated with vinegar and bay leaves, the old way, or "scottadito", straight off the grill. It's the taste of summer on the Ferrara coast, and it's exactly what we like putting on the table right now.

    What's good right now, on the plate

    The season is in charge. In summer, pesce azzurro is at home here: small, full of flavour, honest. We treat it with very little, a bit of heat, a touch of acidity, a herb, because it's already good as it is.

    It's the ingredient that makes the dish. Sea and lagoons, our liquid landscape of sand, water and salt. Everything starts there, and we like to tell you about it in person, table by table.

    And in the glass: a cool one from close to home

    In the heat, we want a wine that's cool and with a bit of life in it. Luckily, we have one on our doorstep.

    They are the wines of the sands of Bosco Eliceo, the DOC of the Ferrara coast, where the soil is almost pure sand. Wines with low alcohol, good acidity and a faintly saline note that comes from the sea nearby. Fortana, the leading grape, in its frizzante version (lightly sparkling) is one of those bottles we often reach for in summer: bubbles, freshness, no pretensions. It goes beautifully with fish.

    Then there are the artisan winemakers we love, the bottle-refermented wines, alive and saline, to uncork without ceremony over a plate of fried fish. That's our idea of a wine cellar: small, always moving, from here.

    Frequently asked questions

    When is the Buskers Festival in Ferrara in 2026?
    The Ferrara Buskers Festival takes place from 26 to 30 August 2026 in the historic centre, with the traditional preview in Comacchio in the days before.

    Is it worth visiting Ferrara in the first weeks of August?
    Yes, if you're after a slower city. The first weeks are quiet: you can wander at your own pace, and the Lidi ferraresi are a short hop away for a day at the seaside.

    Which local wine goes with summer fish?
    We like the wines of the sands of Bosco Eliceo: fresh, faintly saline, and the Fortana frizzante, which really does go well with fish.

    If you're passing by

    August is our slow month that suddenly fills with music. If you're in town, for the festival, for the sea, or just for an unhurried evening, the table is ready. We talk about today's fish, choose a cool bottle, and it feels good to be there.

    We look forward to seeing you. And if you already know us, you know the best thing is when you come back.