Palmanova The Star shaped fort

 A gem in north eastern Italy

Palmanova is a town that can be found in north eastern Italy between Trieste and Udine. It was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. Palmanova is fascinating to visit as it was built as a star shaped fort by the Venetian Republic in 1593. The fort was to protect against attacks by the Ottomans.

Coming in from the train station, the first major construction that you come across is the aqueduct. It was originally built by the Venetians and restored several times, the current version was built in 1771. The aqueduct was used to move water out of the Palma Canal to inside the fortress for the population's use.

Porta Udine

There are three main gates to gain entry to the fortress and are still the only entry point today. This is the Udine gate, built from 1604 to 1605, it originally had a drawbridge.

The interior of Porta Udine and the original wooden winch that raised and lowered the drawbridge can be seen.

Close up of the wooden winch

Porta Aquileia

The Duomo in the Central Square, the facade is made from Istrian stone and was restored in 2000. The Duomo was completed in 1636.

The interior of the Duomo

The Piazza Centrale can be found in the centre of the star, it's an hexagonal shape and the main roads all lead to and from the piazza.

Palmanova has a small museum called the War and History Museum of Palmanova. It has some interesting displays and information on Italy's military history.

The fort is a nine pointed star shape, between the points of the stars the ramparts protrude so the points could define each other. A moat had also surrounded the town.

The star shaped fort came about in three phases. The first circumference took 30 years to build, its founding date was 1571. The second phrase took place between 1658 and 1690 and the final phase, the outer line was built under Napoleon 1806 to 1813.

It's possible to walk around the ramparts, but the actual star shape is hard to visualise, Palamova is a town best seen from above.

Palmanova can be reached by local train from Trieste or Udine, the train station is outside the fortress. It's just a short walk and a pleasant one too.

Road to the Palmanova train station

Palmanova is worth a day trip as it's quite fascinating to see. There's a variety of cafes and restaurant in the town and it's a pleasant town to explore.