Palmanova

Description

Palmanova (UD) is a masterpiece of Venetian military architecture, a fortress city designed and built in 1593 to defend the regional borders from foreign invaders, especially the Ottomans. It is a unique city model, with a perfectly symmetrical, nine-pointed star shape which is enclosed by three circles of fortification from the 16^th, 17^th and 19^th centuries, and a central square.
The historical centre of Palmanova is accessed through three monumental city gates: Aquileia, Udine and Cividale. Whatever the starting point, they all lead to piazza Grande, the ancient military parade ground. It is shaped in a perfect hexagon with elegant, important buildings on its sides, including the Duomo which conserves works of significant interest and the Civico Museo Storico, which displays weapons, relics and documents about the city’s history from its establishment to WWII.

Position on map