# Cittadella

- **Country:** Italy
- **Coordinates:** 45.648611, 11.783611
- **Location Text:** Padua

Cittadella is a remarkable medieval walled city located in the province of Padua within the Veneto region of northern Italy. Founded in 1220 by the Paduans as a strategic military outpost, its primary purpose was to counterbalance the nearby fortification of Castelfranco Veneto during an era of intense conflict between Italian communes. The town is defined by its impressive polygonal defensive walls, which span a circumference of approximately 1,461 meters and enclose a diameter of roughly 450 meters. These formidable barriers, standing between 14 and 16 meters tall, were constructed using a distinctive box masonry technique featuring two parallel walls filled with stone and hot slaked lime, resulting in a massive thickness of over two meters.

The architectural design originally included 32 towers, a protective moat, and four drawbridges aligned with the cardinal points, though only sections of the moat remain today. Despite some damage sustained during the 16th-century War of the League of Cambrai, the walls are largely intact and showcase seven different construction techniques involving alternating courses of brick and river rock. Key historical structures include the Rocca di Porta Bassano, which retains its original defense apparatus, and the Casa del Capitano located inside the fortress. Restoration efforts at the Captain's House have revealed significant frescoes from the periods of the Carraresi, Malatesta, Sanseverino, and Borromeo families, providing a visual historical account of events between 1260 and 1600 that often replaces missing written documents.

Currently, Cittadella stands as one of the few remaining examples in Europe of a medieval walled city where the entire perimeter circuit is still accessible and preserved. The site serves as a major cultural landmark and tourist attraction, allowing visitors to walk along the restored ramparts and observe the skilled craftsmanship of the past firsthand. The survival of these fortifications offers a unique glimpse into medieval military engineering and the turbulent history of the region, making it an essential destination for those interested in Italian heritage and architecture.

![Photo of Cittadella](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Cittadella_view_from_the_walls.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cittadella (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)