The Porta Udine in Palmanova is one of three main gates into the fortified city of Palmanova. The UNESCO World Heritage listed city is a unique example of a fortified Venetian city. I was walking literally around the city before I decided to go in the city itself. I was at my third city gate which is the Porta Udine. The other city gates didn’t have anything interesting to see but the Porta Udine makes up for it with its own waterfalls and also a small aqueduct. The aqueduct is probably the most prominent feature you can see here at the gate.

Like most other aqueducts, it is used to ferry water from far away. This was obviously built before the time of modern machinery so there weren’t any pumps yet. Aqueducts rely on gravity to bring water from a higher place to a lower place. The amazing thing about aqueducts is the level of precision needed to be able to build something that will slowly slope down for long distances. If the slope is too steep you might need a pump since the water might never make to the destination. The aqueduct here in Palmanova isn’t as large as others I have seen elsewhere but I think it is primarily used as a literal bridge for the water to cross the moat around the city.

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