Cittadella, with its splendid citadel wall, was founded in 1220 by order of the city of Padova. Since then, the most characteristic elements of the city were, in fact, the exceptionalness of this ringed wall and the strategic position which it holds within the Padova territory. The citadel wall that encircles Cittadella has an irregular ellipsis shape, which, together with its inhabitants, constitutes an organic complex of a most highly historic interest, not only for studies on castles but also for those regarding town planning. The still in tact shield of the wall measures a total perimeter of 1461 meters, with a diameter of 450 meters circa. The 4 gates correspond approximately to the 4 cardinal points (north, south, east, west). The structures which emerge from the wall itself,

in addition to the 4 main directional towers, are 12 more large towers and 16 smaller towers of varying heights. All in all, 32 towers arise, with 10 flat-topped battlements. The height of the walkway is 12 meters above ground level. The median width of the wall measures 2.10 meters. The internal space delimited by the wall, is organized by 2 crossroads that connect the 4 gates with the town center, thus dividing the town into 4 sections, each of which is then further chequered by smaller streets. The wall communicates with the outside world by means of four bridges situated in correspondence to the four gates, which face the nearby towns of Padova, Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa and Treviso. The draw bridges which continued to function until the XVI

century were gradually substituted by others made in stone. The existing stone bridges are from the first half of the past century. To the north we find the Castle of Porta Bassano, which was protected by a small moat, even from the inside of the wall, and the House of the Captain of the Garrison. To the east we find the tower of Porta Padova, together with the “Tower of Malta”, which served as a horrible prison utilized by the Ezzelino from Romano and cited by Dante in the Divine Comedy. To the west lies the tower of Porta Vicenza. After the recent restoration, it is possible to walk around the walkway situated on the top of the medieval wall from which the visitor can enjoy an extraordinary view of the town, as well as the surrounding territory.