In 1995 UNESCO classified Ferrara's historic centre as a world heritage list, defining it as "...a fine example of a town planned in the Renaissance that has managed to retain the integrity of its historic centre".
Ferrara is one of the capitals of the Renaissance when the Court of the House of Este leaving in its wake indelible vestiges such as inestimable gardens make it one of the greenest cities in Europe, while cinema, literature, modern art exhibitions and the university are what keep it intensely alive as its inhabitants daily go about it on their bikes.