The experience

The perfect star: built in 1593 by the Most Serene Republic of Venice for defensive purposes, it is a masterpiece of military engineering.
A UNESCO site since 2017 Palmanova is a fortress city designed and built by the to defend regional borders from foreign threats, especially the Turks. It is a unique city model, shaped like a perfectly symmetrical nine-pointed star with a central square. The historic center of Palmanova is reached through three Monumental Gates, named Aquileia (or Porta Marina), Udine, and Cividale, and from whichever direction one arrives , the outlet is Piazza Grande, the ancient parade ground. The square is a perfect hexagon overlooked by elegant and important buildings, including the cathedral, custodian of works of considerable interest. Palazzo del Provveditore Generale and the Loggia della Gran Guardia are splendid examples of Venetian military architecture.
Piazza Grande is surrounded by eleven statues: each statue represents one of the general purveyors of the fortress. The best way to discover Palmanova is to walk along the ramparts that protect it a path about 7 kilometers long: from that perspective you can admire the perfect forms of the city’s defensive structure. Palmanova, since its construction, was protected by as many as two defensive lines with bastions and ravelins to which, in Napoleonic times, a third wall was added. A system of underground tunnels, some of which can still be visited today, allowed the safe movement of troops within the fortress. The Donato Bastion Sortie with the Munitions Reserve, the Lodges and the Cortina Lookout can also be visited.
Since 2018, Palmanova has joined the Borghi più belli d’Italia circuit.