The province of Ferrara (; ) is a province in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Its capital is the city of Ferrara. As of May 2023, it has a population of 338,143 inhabitants over an area of . The province contains 23 comuni (: comune), listed in the list of comuni of the province of Ferrara. Its provincial president is Gianni Michele Padovani.

History

thumb|left|upright|[[Borso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara|Borso d'Este, the first Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio]]

The province of Ferrara is believed to have been first settled in by the Romans at the site "Forum Alieni", although remains of the coastal port of Spina have been unearthed near Comacchio by archaeologists. Ferrara was first mentioned when it was conquered by Germanic tribe the Lombards in 753 CE, and the Byzantine Empire lost its rule over the city. It was gifted to the Holy See by the Franks in either 754 or 756 CE, and was led by the Bishops of Ravenna. Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries started reclaiming Podeltan lands in the 9th century.

Geography

thumb|left|[[Valli di Comacchio]]

The province of Ferarra is one of nine provinces in the region of Emilia-Romagna in the northeast of Italy. It is the most northerly province in the region to abut onto the Adriatic Sea. The Province of Rovigo in the Veneto region lies immediately to the north and the Province of Mantua in Lombardy to the northwest. To the west lies the Province of Modena and the Province of Bologna, and the Province of Ravenna lies to the south. The provincial capital is the city of Ferrara, which is situated on a branch of the Po River about northeast of Bologna.

Municipalities

thumb|Map of the province of Ferrara

thumb|[[Ferrara]]

thumb|[[Cento]]

thumb|[[Comacchio]]

The main comuni (: comune) by population are:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|- align=right

!Comune || Population

|-

| Ferrara || align=center |

|-

| Cento || align=center |

|-

| Comacchio || align=center |

|-

| Argenta || align=center |

|-

| Copparo || align=center |

|-

| Bondeno || align=center |

|-

|}

The full list of comuni (: comune) in the province is:

  • Argenta
  • Bondeno
  • Cento
  • Codigoro
  • Comacchio
  • Copparo
  • Ferrara
  • Fiscaglia
  • Goro
  • Jolanda di Savoia
  • Lagosanto
  • Masi Torello
  • Mesola
  • Ostellato
  • Poggio Renatico
  • Portomaggiore
  • Riva del Po
  • Terre del Reno
  • Tresignana
  • Vigarano Mainarda
  • Voghiera

Transport

thumb|[[Autostrada A13 (Italy)|Autostrada A13 near Ferrara]]

Motorways

  • Autostrada A13: Bologna-Padua

Railway lines

  • Padua–Bologna railway

References