Defensive walls in Cittadella, Medieval defensive walls in Cittadella, Italy

Defensive walls in Cittadella form a complete circular fortification that surrounds the town center and was built with brick and stone construction. The structure remains largely intact, allowing visitors to walk the entire perimeter and see how it protected the medieval settlement.

Cittadella was founded in 1220 on the Postumia road at the crossing of routes to Padua, Vicenza and Treviso, and its elliptical walls were raised that same year. Padua granted the town its own statutes in 1236. In 1275 Padua ordered the gates strengthened with towers, portcullises and barbicans, and the Carraresi lords of Padua reinforced the walls further in the 14th century.

The four gates are named after the cities they face: Porta Padovana, Porta Vicentina, Porta Bassanese and Porta Trevisana. The walkway is called the Camminamento di Ronda, and from it visitors can see the chessboard street grid inside the walls.

The best way to experience this site is to walk the restored pathway that runs along the entire wall perimeter. The path is relatively level and offers views of both the town and the surrounding Veneto countryside.

The walls rest on a foundation of sand and gravel from the Brenta river, with no stone footing; they are held up by earth embankments taken from the original moats, which were once much wider than today. The circuit measures 1,461 metres, averages 2.10 metres thick and 14 metres high, while the gate towers reach 30 metres.