Italy in Photos

Corso Porta Mare, 44121 Ferrara, Italy (June 2018)

Giardini Estensi

Located within the verdant embrace of Parco Massari, the Giardini Estensi stand is one of Ferrara’s most beloved and seasonally transformed green havens. Originally part of the gardens behind the sixteenth-century Palazzo Massari, this area transitioned into a public park in the nineteenth century and has since become the site of the celebrated annual Giardini Estensi garden festival.

Brimming with fragrant blooms, rare flora, and horticultural innovation, the Giardini Estensi festival unfolds twice a year, typically in spring and autumn, drawing gardening enthusiasts and curious visitors into its floral symphony. The spring edition showcases a vivid array of seasonal plants: flowering shrubs, hydrangeas, irises, ornamental peppers, succulents, bonsai, and aromatic herbaceous perennials. Alongside these botanical treasures, one finds specialized gardening tools, artisanal crafts, and local produce—all curated by passionate growers and craftsmen from across Italy.

Beyond being a marketplace of greenery, the event is a living classroom. It features themed workshops, eco-textile demonstrations, bulb planting techniques, weaving with marsh grasses, and playful exhibitions of vintage games. For creative souls, crafting opportunities abound, from macramé to recycled-material art, while children and adults alike can engage in hands-on botanical fun

In recent editions, such as in spring 2025, the festival made a notable venue shift from Parco Massari to the historic Piazza Ariostea, transformed into a vibrant garden under the shade of Ludovico Ariosto’s statue. Lined by stately buildings and grassy steps, the oval piazza embraced stalls overflowing with rare trees—cedars, birch, roses—and charming English-style walkways. The autumn event recurrently returns to this setting, continuing to celebrate biodiversity with free entry and a rich line-up of exhibitions and demonstrations.

The Giardini Estensi are more than a horticultural showcase, they are a communal canvas where Ferrara’s artistic heritage, shaped by visionary planners like Biagio Rossetti, and contemporary green living converge. Whether exploring botanical novelties, learning through immersive workshops, or simply enjoying a spring day amid lush greenery, this festival offers an enchanting blend of nature, culture, and inspiration.