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The medieval walls of Cittadella: tour of the ramparts (Veneto region, Italy)
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The main attraction of
Cittadella
is a tour of the ramparts (camminamento di ronda). The high town wall, almost a mile in circumference, is in the process of being restored, and in 2004 it opened to the public, with an admission charge. At the time of writing there is still an unrestored section of wall, but visitors can walk around half of the town's perimeter before retracing their steps to exit. On Sundays an additional stretch of wall is opened up. The walk is fairly safe, with railings provided, but would probably be nerve-racking for families with very small children. Older children should love it - but under-16s must be accompanied at all times. The walls close on Tuesdays and at lunchtime, and opening times vary according to day and season; they can be found on the 'tourist board' section of the town website (see links panel). Note that the last admission is three-quarters of an hour before closing time.
The rampart walk provides great views down onto the medieval town centre and on a clear day to the north you can see the Dolomites, which in winter and spring make a dramatic snow-topped background to the town. Parts of the area outside the walls and moat is sadly less picturesque: a typical Veneto scene of sprawled modern industrial, commercial and housing developments. There are four entrance gateways to the old town: one at each of the points of the compass.
Cittadella
is a small town (population 18,000) in the Veneto region of north-east Italy, in the province of Padua (Provincia di Padova). It is notable for its remarkable medieval fortifications - the centre of town is enclosed within a tall circular wall, studded with towers and ringed by a moat. It was constructed for military purposes by the Commune of Padua in 1220, not long after their rival city Treviso constructed similar - but square - fortifications at nearby Castelfranco Veneto.
For more informations: www.italyheaven.co.uk/veneto/cittadella.html
Cittadella was erected in 1220, at the time of the wars between the communes, by order of the city of Padua in order to build a fortified outpost that would defend its territory.
It was built in successive stages in a polygonal shape on orthogonal axes through the construction of 32 large and small towers, with the formation of a protective moat and with four drawbridges next to the four entrance gates.
Its walls, 14 to 16 metres (46 to 52 ft) tall, were built with the "box masonry": two parallel walls filled with a sturdy core of stones and hot slaked lime totaling a thickness of about 2.10 metres (6.9 ft).
The walls today are all intact except for a stretch destroyed in the 16th century during the Cambrai war, and the skilled detail of the construction are still easily visible. It has as many as seven different construction techniques characterized by the alteration of courses in brick and those in river rocks mixed with brick can be recognized.
For the Restoration of the fortified system: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cittadella
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