Basilica di San Giorgio fuori le mura sits outside Ferrara's historic core, but historically it reaches right into the city's origins. The church is associated with Ferrara's earliest cathedral site, which makes the short detour worthwhile for anyone interested in the city before the Este palaces and Renaissance walls.
The basilica is calmer than the centre and rewards a slow look at its layers of brick, chapels, and monastic setting. It is a good reminder that Ferrara's story did not begin with its grand urban plan.