Ferrara

I haven't gotten to Ferrara yet and am not sure how many days I could fill there, but there are at least three excellent side-trip options by train:

Padua -- 35-70 minutes
Bologna -- 30-40 minutes
Ravenna -- 71+ minutes

All of those cities are sight-rich and each could keep me occupied for two full days, if not longer. (I am a slow traveler.) Many of the trains are regionals with low fares whose tickets do not need to be purchased in advance.

Because of the surrounding riches, I'd definitely not be concerned that five days was too long to be in Ferrara.

We visited last spring and enjoyed it very much. It's very lively and the attractions are top notch. We stayed 2 nights but had 2 full days as we arrived before noon. Three nights would be plenty for just Ferrara, but it would indeed be a good base for a day trip to Padua.

If you do a search for Parma, Modena, and Ferrara, you’ll find some great posts in the forum. It helped us a lot in our planning for that area. 😊

Five days is too long unless you plan to use it as your base and take day trips from there. It’s a lovely place but short on lots to do.