We recently spent two nights in Ferrara at a lovely family-run hotel right on Piazza della Republican opposite the Castello Estense. I chose the hotel on the basis of location, in the pedestrian zone in the center of town, near the Cathedral and other major sights. It turned out to be an excellent choice in every way. Our tasteful and modern room had a direct view of the castle (beautifully lit up at night), a small balcony, and a nice walk-in shower in the bathroom. Breakfast was the most varied we have encountered on this trip to Italy, with gluten-free, lactose-free, and vegan options in addition to an extensive array of pastries, various types of yogurt and cereal, and meats and cheeses.
But the best part is the owners, who went above and beyond to help us out after I accidentally left my shoulder bag at the nearby trattoria where we had dinner on Sunday night. I had it in my lap at dinner, and it must have slid off onto the floor when I stood up to depart ( blame the good meal and a bit of wine). I use this as a day bag to carry maps, water bottle, sunglasses, etc. No money, passports or credit cards, but the sunglasses are very expensive prescription ones, very costly to replace. I thought about going back to the restaurant right then, but my husband was already in bed and asleep. So I thought it could wait til the next day when they opened for lunch.
But the next morning was Monday, and I learned to my dismay the restaurant was closed all day. And Tuesday we had to leave for our next destination well before they opened for lunch. So I asked my husband (who speaks decent Italian) to ask at the reception desk if they could help. Turns out it was one of the owners (Zeno, in the photo on the website with his wife and his mother) who was manning the desk that morning. He said he would see what he could do, made a quick phone call, and said his mother would contact the owners of the restaurant (whom she knows) and arrange to meet them and pick up the bag if it was there. We should go about our sightseeing for the day and he would keep us posted. So we went out to walk the walls and returned 3 hours later, to be greeted by a smiling Zeno, who said my missing bag was safely back in our room.
The next morning we saw Zeno’s mother in the office as we walked by for breakfast, so we went in and introduced ourselves so my husband could thank her in person, in Italian. What a charming and gracious woman.
This is one of many reasons why we like to stay at the smaller family-run hotels when we can.
I highly recommend visiting Ferrara, a nice town near Bologna with lots of history and art to explore, walls and ramparts to walk, and even a Palio (this year’s is May 27):
https://www.ferraraterraeacqua.it/en/
https://www.paliodiferrara.it/
And if you do come, take a look at Hotel Annunziata.