Napoleonic Lunettes

The Napoleonic Lunettes represent the third defensive ring of Palmanova, added in the early 19th century by order of Napoleon Bonaparte.

These triangular earthworks, surrounded by greenery, reflect the military engineering of the nineteenth century and today offer a fascinating route through fortifications and landscape.

Walking among caponiers and casemates, visitors discover an environment where history and nature intertwine.

Now transformed into evocative green pathways, they are ideal for walking and cycling between history and nature.

Exploring them means immersing oneself in historic military engineering while enjoying the silence surrounding this extraordinary UNESCO heritage site.

The Lunettes form part of the third ring of fortifications built during the Napoleonic era between 1806 and 1809. They consist of nine triangular earthworks aligned with the bastions and surrounded by a dry moat.
Each lunettes includes a central structure called a “caponier” and two smaller side forts known as “casemates”, architectural elements concealed beneath grassy embankments and visible only from inside the fortifications.
The lunettes served as defensive outposts where riflemen and artillery batteries were stationed.
The central structure had two levels, once connected by removable rope ladders that could be withdrawn if enemies entered the ground floor. In this way, the upper level could be isolated and used as an escape point through a narrow underground passage leading back inside the fortress.

CONTARINI NAPOLEONIC LUNETTE (MAPE ROUTE)
The Napoleonic Lunette located outside Porta Aquileia, proceeding to the left, is part of the defensive system of the Fortress of Palmanova and has now been transformed into an area dedicated to environmental education and biodiversity.
It is included in the LIFE PollinAction project (a European project dedicated to the protection of pollinating insects, particularly bees and butterflies) through initiatives focused on habitats, biodiversity and public awareness.Thanks to its permanent grasslands and spontaneous flowering plants, the area provides an ideal environment for bees, combining history, education and the protection of pollinating insects.

Outdoor areas partially accessible for visitors with motor disabilities.

Accessible for visitors with sensory disabilities accompanied by an assistant, and visitors with intellectual and psychological disabilities