In north-eastern Italy lies a town that stands out for its extremely rich history, but even more so for its peculiar shape. Palmanova was built according to the Renaissance concept of the ideal fortress city. The construction of the settlement embodying the humanist principles of the era was completed on 7 October 1593. The site still inspires admiration and awe for the craftsmanship of the town planners and builders of the time.
Palmanova: the creation of a snowflake-shaped town
The date of Palmanova’s founding was not chosen by accident. It was to commemorate the victory in the battle against the Turks at Lepanto in 1571 and the day of St Justina, the city’s patron saint. The foundation was designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, an architect and Renaissance theorist, who gave it the form of a nine-pointed star. This shape symbolised harmony and perfection, and also allowed for effective defence. Each of the nine bastions protected a neighbouring one, and the entire fortification was surrounded by a moat and fortifications. There were three guarded gates leading into the city: Porta Udine, Porta Cividale and Porta Aquileia. All of them have been preserved to this day.
Renaissance utopia in practice
Palmanova was designed in the spirit of Renaissance utopias. The idea of the perfect city, already present in the treatises of thinkers such as Filarete and Alberti, presupposed geometry, social equality and functionality. Cities were planned in the form of concentric and symmetrical structures, with radially diverging streets and a strict division of space. This layout was intended to promote harmonious living for the inhabitants and foster order. Palmanova was to be a community of self-sufficient merchants, craftsmen and farmers, operating according to the principles of the common good.
Settlement and expansion of the city
Despite the carefully considered design and excellent conditions, settlers were reluctant to move to the new town. Consequently, in 1622 the authorities of the Venetian Republic decided to grant plots of land and building materials to former prisoners to encourage them to settle in the fortress. The construction of the first ring of fortifications, seven kilometres long, took thirty years. The next phase of work took place between 1658 and 1690, and the last fortifications were built during the Napoleonic period between 1806 and 1813. As a result, the fortress consisted of nine bastions, ravelins, lunettes and eighteen cavaliers.
The winding fate of Palmanovo
In 1815, the town of Palmanova came under Austrian rule, before being incorporated into the united Kingdom of Italy in 1866. During the First World War, however, it served as a military base for the Italian army and suffered damage from artillery shelling. It was not until 1960 that it was recognised as a national monument of the country, and in 2017 the Renaissance foundation was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of a complex of Venetian towns and defensive buildings from the 16th and 17th centuries. Today, Palmanova has a population of around five thousand inhabitants and is on the list of the most beautiful Italian towns.
Plan of the town from 1593 and Palmanova today. Source: Civitates Orbis Terrarum and Google Maps
The central square and other monuments
The central point of the city is the Piazza Grande, paved with light-coloured Istrian stone. The Cathedral of the Most Holy Redeemer, completed in 1636, rises next to the square. The architecture of the church is attributed to Scamozzi and Longhena. Its interior was not consecrated until 1777, after the city was incorporated into the Archdiocese of Udine. The height of the bell tower was limited for strategic reasons, so that it would not be visible to a potential enemy outside the walls. Also noteworthy are the local palaces and the Gran Guardia Lodge completed in 1625. As the city was born primarily to serve a defensive function, many of the monuments present here are related to the military, such as barracks and watchtowers.
A trace of a Renaissance dream
Today, Palmanova remains one of the most complete examples of the realisation of the Renaissance ideal city, planned with perfect social order, defence and aesthetics in mind. Despite a brutal clash with reality in its early years and subsequent destruction over the centuries, the city continues to attract the attention of historians and tourists as testimony to a bold vision combining urban planning, architecture and the philosophy of the era. In Poland, Zamość is an example of the realisation of a similar idea. The city plan there, created by architect Bernard Morando on the commission of Jan Zamoyski, is based on precise geometry, regular streets and rectangular quarters.
Source: delikatesywloskie.pl, visitpalmanova.it
Also read: Architecture | Urbanism | City | History | Italy
