The town is still surrounded by more than 9 kilometres of ancient walls, mainly built in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Of course we reccomend first of all the Cathedral and the Castello Estense - the castle once seat of the ducal family of Este.
For a broad view of the medieval and Renaissance town, we suggest a walk along via delle Volte, typical example of XIV Century road, along the dark lanes leading off from it, and along the streets of the Addizione Erculea, especially Corso Ercole I of Este as far as the famous Diamond Crossroads, and not forgetting a brief visit to Piazza Ariostea, a grandiose and genial "space" conceived by the town-planner within the context of a series of noble buildings and to the Certosa.

The Cathedral dates from 1135, when it was consecrated to St. George. Its façade is in romanesque style in the lower, more ancient part, and gothic in the upper part. Nicholaus, a great master of the romanesque sculpture, is the author of the ‘Saint George’ and the ‘Scenes from the New Testament’ above the main portal. The prothvrum dates from the l3th century. In the small loggia stands a ‘Madonna with Child’ (1427) by Cristoforo da Firenze.