The fall of the Roman Empire marked the end of a civilization and the end of a concrete and strong push, of a course. The towns were left alone in their historical evolution and the secure structure that Rome provided was lost. The cities, the towns, began to seek the help and protection of the new lords that were appearing. During the Middle Ages not only kingdoms were born but also walls.
In Italy there are many walled cities. There were more, of course, but as the centuries passed, the towns were unified under the figure of a State and the cities suffered important urban modifications, those medieval walls they began to disappear. Fortunately, some of them have survived and so we can today make a list of five walled cities in Italy worth knowing:
- Verona: a thousand-year-old and well-preserved city. There are many Roman ruins within the walls, the Arena, the Roman theater, the Ponte Pierta, and so on. Two last gates of that wall remain.
- San Gimignano: it is a World Heritage city, like Verano. It rests on a hill and its walls are from the XNUMXth century.
- Montagnana: its walls are something incredible, they have four gates and 24 towers. This city is close to Vicenza and its medieval walls are considered among the best preserved in Europe. Within its perimeter there is a castle, today open to tourism.
- Perugia: This city is in central Italy, it has a jazz festival every summer in July, and it is built on a hill overlooking the Tiber Valley.
- Lucca: it is a walled but flat city, it is not on a hill. The ramparts date back to the 45th century and you can cycle up and around. In April Lucca celebrates the Santa Zita Festival, dedicated to flowers. If you are in Florence you can get to know Lucca because the trip is just XNUMX minutes.