Archaeological area of ​​the Ex-Cantine Petternella

Anyone visiting today's Legnago would find it hard to believe they were facing a once fortified city. With the exception of the old Torrione, the only trace of the ancient medieval fortress, almost no evidence remains of the centuries-old military and defensive history of the stronghold. Yet, as well as being the birthplace of Antonio Salieri, Legnago is usually remembered for having been part of the Quadrilatero, the famous Austrian defense system in the Lombardy-Veneto region between 1848 and 1866, at the top of which were also the fortresses of Verona , Peschiera del Garda and Mantua. Few also know that the majestic fortifications of Legnago used first by Napoleon and then by the Austrians actually dated back to the era of Venetian domination.

In the aftermath of the war fought by Venice against the League of Cambrai (1509-1516), Legnago and its fortress, the epicenter of bloody clashes, were completely destroyed. Once the hostilities ceased, the Venetian Senate, considering the town of Atesina of essential strategic importance, proposed to restore the defenses quickly. The project was entrusted to the famous architect Michele Sanmicheli who conceived a new hexagonal fortress, equipped with thick walls, embankments and ramparts, surrounded by a deep moat and wide esplanades. The works began in 1525 and continued for about seventy years, not without difficulty and slowdowns, giving shape to an imposing building (4200 meters perimeter and 3.5 meters high) destined to profoundly change the urban landscape of the following three centuries .

During the French (1796-1814) and Austrian (1814-1866) occupation the fortress of Legnago was repeatedly subjected to works of reorganization and strengthening, without however, that the ancient Venetian fortification structure was overturned. Instead, inside the walls during the nineteenth century several new buildings were built functional to the war activities (barracks, warehouses, hospitals). Among these, for example, the Austrian military hospital, now home to the prestigious Archaeological Environmental Center, was built by adapting a building previously used by the French as a cavalry barracks.

After the unification of Italy, defensive needs had ceased, and due to the terrible routes of the Adige in 1868 and 1882, the magistral walls were completely demolished, starting from 1887, to make room for new neighborhoods. Today there are only a few visible fragments of those ancient walls along Via Leopardi and on the site of the former Petternella cellars. In piazza Garibaldi, on the other hand, a series of explanatory panels indicate the place where Porta Mantova once stood.

To continue the journey on the places of the Fortress click here:

TOWER:
http://web4.deskline.net/pianuraveronese/it/infosystem/detail/TRN/c81ddb37-43b0-4dce-905c-6756f74c3460/torrione_di_legnago

VENETIAN LIONS:
http://web4.deskline.net/pianuraveronese/it/infosystem/detail/TRN/1de4c2a4-e7ce-4296-be36-9aaee4e59bb1/leoni_di_legnago