Palmanova is a fortress city created by the Republic of Venice based on a specific design concept developed by a team of engineers and theorists working at the Office of Fortifications under the guidance of the General Superintendent Giulio Savorgnan. 

To strengthen the defenses in the Friulian territory against Turkish raids and the expansionist ambitions of the Habsburgs, Venice decided to build the new royal fortress in the center of the Friulian plain, a perfect example of “modern” fortifications from the late Renaissance period. 

The founding date is October 7, 1593, the day of Saint Justina but also the anniversary of the victory of Lepanto over the Turks (October 7, 1571) by the Holy League. Palmanova represents one of the most successful and unique masterpieces of Venetian military architecture with its star-shaped plan formed by the two defensive orders of bastions and ravelins and the third, the outermost with the lunettes, added by Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century. The symmetrical arrangement of the architectural modules of the fortifications together with the radial urban layout centered around the majestic Piazza d’Armi, the pulsating heart of the fortress, make the city perfectly aligned with the characteristics of an ideal city theorized within the culture of the Renaissance. 

In 1960, the fortress was declared a National Monument and on July 9, 2017, it became part of the Unesco World Heritage confirming the values of uniqueness and integrity of the complex structure.