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.