Fog in Ferrara: 5 reasons why it won't spoil your holiday.

A bother? Maybe a little bit but before you think you've ruined your weekend trip because of the weather, we want to calm you down and make you see this controversial weather phenomenon in a new light.

Of course, we do not make jokes about the potential danger of our loyal companion, and so we encourage you to be very cautious should you encounter it on your car journey, but once you have settled in the warmth, whether from a café table, the window of your hotel or strolling through the streets of the city centre, we want to give you five reasons to appreciate it.

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First, a few lines to give you some scientific background: the land surrounding Ferrara is largely below sea level. A few peaks attest to the city's highest altitudes at around 10 m above sea level. As a result of its particular position, Ferrara is characterised by a particularly humid, albeit temperate, climate, with a wide temperature range between seasons. The high humidity percentage in the air often causes the formation of a thick blanket of fog that rests gently on the outline of the city; sometimes the warmth of the sun is able to melt it in the late morning, while at other times, once it has settled, it accompanies us until the evening, or even late into the night, giving us the most evocative views.

So, Ferrara people have never had a choice in front of the whitish colossus and have found themselves having to live with it, finding its most interesting sides. Some have even paid homage to it through their art, such as the legendary director Michelangelo Antonioni in his 'Al di là delle nuvole' (Beyond the Clouds) in 1995, or the painter Riccardo Adelchi Mantovani. 

Fog in Ferrara: 5 reasons why it won't spoil your holiday

Today, after years and years of adaptation, as good citizens of Ferrara we can really guarantee you at least five reasons not to let our traditional fog spoil your mood and stay.

THE FOG CREATES AN AFFASCINATING FOCUS ON DETAILS: yes, the fog is effective in highlighting significant details, obviously concealing others, but giving you the possibility of seeing and reviewing the city from many points of view. Sometimes a single streetlight, alone on the Listone (you don't know what that is? We explain it HERE), in its dark metaphysical form will be evident; at other times the loggia running along the side of the Cathedral, with its slender columns, will seem to be the protagonist. At each glance, the panorama will take a new shape, forcing you to notice small and large details. An ever-changing city that - we are sure - will not struggle to amaze you.
THE FOG GIVES PERFECT SCREENS FOR PHOTOGRAPHS: if you are passionate about photography, you will have already glimpsed the added value of the inevitable grayish autumn and winter veil. We can consider this second point a consequence of the first: by emphasizing different details, the Ferrara fog is able to draw unexpected compositions and, therefore, shots of remarkable beauty; Instagrammable, mobile-phone views for our more social friends, deep and evocative shots for camera-lovers.
THE FOG GUARANTEES A 100% LOCAL EXPERIENCE: are you also one of those who 'like to walk down alleys, plan nothing and experience the cities I understand as if you were local'? A weekend in the fog is a guarantee that your city experience will be 100% authentic. Riding your bike in the fog? We recommend caution, but it is precisely what the people of Ferrara are most familiar with. Walking around slowly discovering the street, shop by shop, door by door, will be a dive into the most recurring daily routine of the citizens. You will feel like stopping at a café for a cannoncino alla crema and a coffee, and then take the road home thinking '...tonight there is no way in hell I am taking the car: I'll put off dinner until next week and enjoy my sofa'.
CORSO ERCOLE D'ESTE AND THE WALLS BECOME BREATHTAKING VIEWS IN THE FOG: We know we have already told you that the fog gives incredible views of the city, but these two views really deserve their own point. The Listone is beautiful when all you can see are the street lamps, for sure. Piazza Ariostea is magnificent when the fog hides its curves, certainly. But Corso Ercole d'Este seems to have been born to be seen under the fascinating veil of powerful traditional mist. Perhaps it is its perfectly straight direction, perhaps it is the expanse of cobblestones that seems to gradually disappear into the horizon, perhaps it is the palaces that peep out at every step (including the Palazzo dei Diamanti), perhaps it is the profiles of the Parco Massari tree branches that fall softly over the side of the Corso... Perhaps it is that Corso Ercole d'Este is the most beautiful street in the city. Maybe it is because it ends right on the city walls and from there the route becomes more and more enchanting, among the silhouettes of the vegetation, the beaten earth path, the ancient bricks. Is there anything else we need to add?
THE FOG COOLS, PROTECTS AND ATTEMPTES: in a way, the fog builds a lovely, tender protective bubble around us. Visiting the city immersed in your own thoughts, in your own imagination, is a magical experience! Noises are less intense, mitigated by the fog-dense air, just as the light, almost suffused, transports us to a more intimate dimension. The fog cuddles us, invites us to have a cup of chocolate with the people we love, at the usual coffee table, wrapped in this strange blanket of clouds; and then, when the festive season arrives, the golden illuminations create a pattern of light in the air and everything becomes even more atmospheric.

In short, these five points to ensure that the fog will not spoil your holiday: our loyal partner in crime, the dense Ferrarese mist will lead you through this special traditional experience. Just trust it. Let yourself be carried away by the details she will want to reveal, by her cool embrace, by the patterns she will want to paint for you. Ferrara without the fog is just like a doughnut without the hole, or like a tenerina without butter (to stay on topic)!