Under the Venetian Prealps, castles, towers and curtain walls tell a story of contested borders, rival lordships and competing powers vying for control of the plain. One of the great fortress-towns, the Pedemontana Veneta has some of the best-preserved medieval defensive systems in the region, now transformed into places to explore with walkways, fortresses and striking panoramas.
The Rocca, which has dominated Asolo’s hilly landscape for centuries, was enlarged several times over the years and constituted the principal defensive stronghold of this strategic territory. Together with the Castle that hosted the court of Catherine Cornaro, the Rocca tells the story of the fortified past of one of the most charming towns in the Veneto. Open to visitors today, it boasts a panorama that stretches from the Asolo Hills to the Lagoon on the clearest days.
Overlooking the Brenta and protected for centuries by walls, towers and fortified gates, Bassano del Grappa preserves important evidence of its medieval past. The Ezzelini Castle, heart of the city's defensive system, is one of the main landmarks of the historic centre and recalls the strategic role the town played in controlling the routes between the plain and the alpine valleys. Of the ancient fortifications, stretches of the walls, a few towers and the historic gates that still provide access to the city remain.
Marostica is famed for its extraordinary fortified system consisting of two castles connected by a striking curtain wall that climbs the hill above the town. Built by the Scaligers, the defensive complex includes the Lower Castle, which faces onto Piazza degli Scacchi, the Upper Castle and almost two kilometres of walls that design the town's profile. This heritage provides the backdrop to the famous Living Chess Match, which every two years transforms the historic centre into a large open-air stage.
Founded in 1220 by the Municipality of Padua as a military garrison at the border of its territory, Cittadella is home to one of the best-preserved medieval curtain walls, the only elliptical-shaped wall completely walkable in Europe. The imposing defensive system, about 1,500 metres long and interspersed with towers and battlements, still encloses the historic centre today. The complete wall-walk is open to the public, offering a privileged vantage point over the town and the surrounding landscape.
Massive brick walls, corner towers and a wide moat still enclose the heart of Castelfranco Veneto, one of the best-preserved walled towns in the Veneto. Built as a strategic stronghold on the Venetian plain, the town retains an almost perfectly preserved defensive layout that still defines its urban aspect. Inside the walls is the Cathedral which houses the famous Pala di Castelfranco masterpiece by Giorgione.
At the heart of the dominions owned by the Tempesta family, Noale still preserves a fortified layout that recalls its past as a strategic centre between Padua, Treviso and Venice. The historic centre is still characterised by the Rocca dei Tempesta, the Clock Tower and the Bell Tower, monuments that allow visitors to retrace the past of one of the most important lordships of the Venetian mainland before the expansion of the Serenissima.