Ferrara, a pleasant, bike-friendly small town in Emilia-Romagna, has been a Unesco World Heritage site since 1995, along with the surrounding agricultural lands of the vast Po river delta. 

The area comprised within the Unesco site includes the medieval city within the ring of defensive walls that were erected starting in the 12th century, and subsequent extensions, which now comprise the Cathedral of San Giorgio and the Estense Castle; in other words, its historic center.