City walls of Sabbioneta

The city walls of Sabbioneta are a rectangular fortification with massive stone construction and six bastions positioned at corners and along the sides. They completely enclose the town with straight connecting walls between each bastion.

Construction of the walls began in 1554 under Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna, who wanted to establish a new fortified city in the Po Valley. The project was part of an ambitious plan to create an ideal Renaissance city based on modern military and urban design principles.

The walls shape how the town is laid out and used today, showing how Renaissance residents imagined their ideal city. You can see this intention everywhere: straight streets, open squares, and the fortifications marking the boundary between urban space and countryside.

You can walk on paths alongside the walls and find information panels that explain the architecture of each section. The best time to stroll is early morning or late afternoon, when it is cooler and the light is more pleasant.

These fortifications are part of one of the first fully planned Renaissance cities in northern Italy, designed all at once rather than growing randomly like other towns. This makes Sabbioneta rare as a city built from the start according to a complete geometric design.