Porta Cividale and the Countergate

Porta Cividale welcomes visitors with its austere rusticated stone façade. A true masterpiece of military architecture, the gate was not merely an entrance but an impregnable defensive structure. Today it hosts the Museum of the Great War and of the Fortress of Palmanova, offering a privileged view over the imposing fortifications. Passing through its wide vaulted halls means taking a journey back in time, amid echoes of soldiers and the enduring mark of Venetian engineering genius.

PORTA CIVIDALE
Built between 1604 and 1605 under the governorship of Nicolò Dolfin, it is one of the three main entrances to the fortress of Palmanova. The gate features a monumental and austere façade, with no decoration, but clad in white and grey rusticated stone. Its appearance is severe, with guard towers connected by a balustrade.At the uppermost part of the gate, the dongione, is located the Museum of the Great War and of the Fortress of Palmanova, which preserves documents, weapons, uniforms and artefacts covering the entire history of the city, from its foundation in 1593 to the present day. Here are preserved more than 400 years of military history linked to the armies that lived and operated within the fortress city.

COUNTERGATES
Originally, access to the fortress followed a route that bypassed the rivellini protecting the gates.
The defensive earthwork, now cut through by the access road to the city, was controlled on both sides by two countergates, which formed an integral part of the defensive wall system.
Following the path around the rivellino and passing through the countergate, visitors would reach a wooden bridge used to cross the first section of the moat, and then arrive at the monumental gate itself, protected in turn by a drawbridge operated by powerful internal mechanisms.
Today, two countergates are still visible: one outside Porta Cividale and the other outside Porta Aquileia.

Externally accessible for visitors with motor disabilities, visitors with sensory disabilities accompanied by an assistant, and visitors with intellectual and psychological disabilities.

The interior dongione is not accessible for visitors with motor disabilities.