It was only a twenty minute drive from the city of Aquileia to the nearby city of Palmanova, also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Usually, when I see two sites so close to each other, I would think that they must mean the same type of heritage site. While Aquileia is in the list for its ancient Roman ruins, Palmanova is a totally different type of heritage site. It is known as a fortified city built during the Venentian times. Back then, Venice was its own republic. It was very prosperous and had great influence all over Italy. Palmanova is one of the results of these influence.

I can’t understate how difficult it is to appreciate Palmanova for what it is because of how large the site actually is. I arrived in the city and parked somewhere inside. From the Porto Aquileia, that’s the gate that faces Aquileia, I started to walk around the entire city. The city is surrounded by walls in all sides. There is also a moat to protect the city outside the walls themselves. As you can tell, there is a lot of emphasis on defense. The walls aren’t straight walls but they have specific shapes to increase defense. The whole structure is elegantly designed and it is a product of the aesthetics of the time. I got a feeling that I won’t be seeing much of this place once I am inside, so I will walk around the entire fortress first before going in.

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