Three streets that meet, at an angle of 120 degrees, in the center of a hexagonal square. Six other streets depart from the square, each at an angle of 40 degrees, intersected by 4 parallel streets that revolve around the square, all in the shape of an nonagon, up to the walls of the fortress-city.
From the nine vertices of the walls, nine bulwarks protrude into the plain. All surrounded by a moat.
This is Palmanova, or rather, this was Palmanova when it was built, in 1593. A fortress, or rather, a fortress city.
Sometimes they come back
Or at least, this is what I like to think, looking at the history of this city, built by the Venetians to defend the borders of the Republic, a few kilometers from Aquileia, which according to many was responsible for the birth of Venice in the 5th century. The inhabitants of Aquileia fled from the invaders (for more details: Aquileia, Roman Empire in the North East of Italy - Part 1). 11 centuries later, the Venetians built a fortress precisely to defend themselves from invaders.
The Fortress
The fortress was designed to be a war machine, a perfect defense system, and its dimensions were calculated taking into account the range of the guns of the time. In the middle of the following century, having increased the power of weapons, the fortifications grew, adding the “Rivellini”, deadly protuberances that are located beyond the moat, interspersed between the bulwarks, to protect the city walls.
In 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte had the defenses strengthened again by adding the “lunettes” and digging a large moat on the outside, a kind of reverse wall.
I know, it’s not easy to imagine, on the other hand the city protections were made to be complicated to overcome. A set of traps, obstacles, hills and overhangs, made to force the attackers to abandon their horses and war machines, and to confuse and disorient them.
So let’s go and see these fortifications together
Let’s go visit the Fortress
Not all of it, but enough to understand the structure and the principles on which it was built.
Let’s start, to better understand what we are talking about, with an overview, from the Donato bulwark viewpoint(I forgot to tell you this: every bulwark has a name, and this one is called Donato). In the distance you can see the inner side of the Napoleonic lunettes, and right in front of you you have the Rivellini, and the moat
We start our journey from Porta Udine, the north west gate of the city. It is an easy and relaxing route, with many places to rest, equipped with benches and tables. Take it easy, there is a lot to walk, but always on comfortable paths.
The Venetian Aqueduct
Just outside the door we see on the left the bridge of the Venetian aqueduct, which supplied water to the city. With a few steps we follow it backwards, to find two small waterfalls which, coming out of the aqueduct canal, feed the moat with water. We stop to take some pictures at the “Roggia di Palma”
The first line of defense: the bulwarks and the moat
This is the original defense line, the one that was built first, in the 16th century. They look like the pointed prows of ships, the tips of the nine bulwarks that go deep into the surrounding plain, surrounded by a wide moat that descends steeply, down to the small stream, made more to slow the attackers than to be insurmountable.
But the bulwarks hide traps and surprises, as you can see in the photo on the left. We will deepen this aspect later
The second line of defense: the ravelins
With the increased power of the guns, a second defensive line was built in the mid-17th century, which apparently has the sole purpose of moving the artillery away from the city walls. The ravelins are large wedges, placed between the bulwarks, just beyond the moat. They seem to be just an obstacle, but in reality they are deadly traps.
Under the ravelins, a system of tunnels runs through the subsoil, allowing the ground to be undermined without being seen. Forward the level changes, the sudden precipices, confuse the assailants.
I tried to follow them, and in certain moments it is really difficult to understand where you are.
Now let’s go and visit one of these galleries, just a few minutes’ walk from Porta Udine. The ticket costs three euros, and you are provided with an audio guide and a torch.
The second line of defense: the counter mine galleries
It took years of work to dig the tunnels. Under the ravellini the passages intersect, divide, and sometimes rise to get closer to the surface. The visit is limited to just two galleries, but I can imagine how easy it can be to get lost if you don’t know where to go.
The third line of defense: The Napoleonic lunettes
In the eighteenth century Napoleon Bonaparte arrives, and he reinforces the defenses of the fortress again, adding a new series of wedges, placed in front of the bulwarks. The ground is lowered, and from the outside the Lunettes look like only hills, while in reality they conceal fortified barracks, which can attack the invaders from behind.
The Lunettes are also connected to the fortress with underground passages
The Baluardo Donato
A hundred meters from the exit of the tunnels you will find a small bridge, which allows you to cross the small stream that surrounds the walls. A little further on, right next to the bulwark, a sign invites you to turn right and follow the walls. Turning around the bulwark you will come to a large door, hidden from view: the exit of the sortie. Entering the door you will see a large uphill tunnel, which leads to the top of the bulwark.
The tunnel allowed the mounted soldiers to descend quickly, without being seen. An embankment parallel to the walls, called falsabraga, allowed the knights to move from one side to the other without being seen.
We go up the tunnel to get to the guard post (The loggia). Outside, a large lawn covers the upper part of the bulwark.
We take a few minutes for a break, in the warm sun of this winter day, and to visit the panoramic points already mentioned at the beginning of the post
It’s time to leave, I still have an hour of light and a lot to see. I therefore resume the path along the walls, to reach Porta Cividale, the city gate that faces North East.
I walk towards Piazza Grande, the hexagonal square, the parade ground in the center of the city, where the models of the machines used to build the fortifications are exhibited.
At the entrance of each street that starts from the square, you can see two statues: the statues of the Procurators General.
It starts to get dark as the sky turns pink.
It’s time to go, until the next exploration
As the visit is very recent, I will have to write a lot of reviews soon, but you can find the first three here
This post is part of the Challenge Gems Of the World - A Connect Travel Post Challenge started by @KashifMisidia
#Gemsoftheworld #ConnectTravelChallenge
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bellissimo 
Non sai cosa darei 
