Palmanova Town
 
 The town maintains almost completely (some modern buildings overhang the walls) the original physiognomy, beginning from the strictly geometrical subdivision in quarters and from the large circular square recently restored.
  Several are the buildings of value:
- around the Piazza Grande: Duomo of 1600 (paintings and decorated ceiling); ); Loggia della Gran Guardia and Loggia dei mercanti; Palazzo del Provveditore generale; Palazzo del Monte di pietà; Palazzo del Governatore delle armi;
- at South: Caserma Montezemolo; Polveriera napoleonica (exhibitions);
- at North-West: from the centre, Civico museo storico; Caserma Montesanto (exhibitions).
  You can read the history of Palmanova in the Civico Museo Storico which conserve documents, paintings, sculptures, objects, photographies, craft and artistic works of its life before with the Serenissima (1593-1798), later with Austria (1798-1805 and 1814-1866), then with France (1805-1814) and in the end with Italy (from 1866). The Museum is open from tuesday to sunday 10-12.00) (€ 2/1,5). Tel./fax.0432-929106   Questo indirizzo e-mail è protetto dallo spam bot. Abilita Javascript per vederlo.

  Positively more impressive are the town military works which constitute its external structure (between the internal circular perimeter 3 km measuring and the external one of 6 km): a 500 metres large belt around the whole town without interruption (the three entrance roads excepted) with three concentric defensive lines.
  In the nearby drawing, the representation (with exact proportions) of the three defensive lines:
- (dark sky blue colour) the beginning line including the arrow-shaped bulwarks (with all internal and at the back fortifications, below described) and the moat;
- (medium sky blue colour) line of the ravelins, sixty years later built close to moat because of increasing range of the guns;
- (clear sky blue colour) line of the lunettes carried out at the end of 1800 by Napoleon, always to face up to new fighting requirements.

  In the Cividale Gate (which is the starting point of the route to the standard defensive works) is located the interesting Museo Storico Militare which ranges from the town foundation to the our days, showing small and heavy weapons, uniforms, models, dioramas and displays of the venetian, napoleonic, austrian and italian periods 
  Open: monday 9-12/13.45-16.00, tuesday, wednesday, thursday only on booking; friday and saturday and public holidays (the principal ones excepted) 9-12.00. Visits in other times for groups. . Entry free. Info: tel.0432-928175.
 The armours and the military manoeuvres of various ages can be live seen every year in the first weekend of September in a great Historical recalling in the main square of the town.

If you want to know the most common type of ancient friulian stone houses, we suggest to visit the little village of Clauiano (3,5 km at North-East of Porta Cividale, towards Manzano) one of 'The most beautiful villages of Italia', with several country houses and manors of 1600-1800 along the two sides of the main street.

NOTA BENE
 
  Palmanova is an unique specimen in the world of fortress-town with the shape of star, the first in the history still complete (the venetian Nicosia has been the first in 1567 but now the bulwarks are in large parte ruined), the more complex (9 points and 3 defensive lines, when Nicosia had 11 points but only 1 defensive line) and the largest (6 km perimeter and 2000 inhabitants).
  In Italy like Palmanova we have only two little fortress: Belvedere in Firenze (5 points) and one in Alessandria (6 points).
  In Europe the more similar for largeness is the little town of Coevorden in Holland (5 points but the walls in some parts have been destroyed). In the same country there are also the small but wery well-kept fortified village of Naarden (6 points) and the Bourtange fortress (5 points, one of it double).
  Also similar to Palmanova as number of points (7 but irregular in part) and of inhabitants (400), is the fortified village of Alba Julia in Romania, but with only 2 km of perimeter. In Romania there is also the stronghold of Arad, with 6 points and 3 defensive lines but mostly in packed earth built.
  In Denmark there is star-shaper the Kastellet in Copenaghen (5 points but irregular) and the big arch of 1/4 circle with 6 points around the town of Fredericia on the sea coast.
  Enough similar to Palmanova is also in France the fortified village (2 lines) of Neuf Brisach, which but looks, because of the small bulwarks, like a simple octagon rather than a star.
  In Spain Pamplona was a time completely surrounded by circular walls star-shaped but today it conserves only a little part of it with a small fortress with 5 points, as the town of Jaca.