The Castelnuovo at Ognissanti, the unfinished fortress

The original purposes of the eastern fortified system, consisting of two cylindrical towers to the north and south and a large intermediate keep, are scarcely recognizable unless one visits the internal structures and, in particular, the two long tunnels each about 170 meters long with two overflow shafts at the head controlling their access with drawbridges.
This is a large fortress, created to be independent, detached from the urban walls and surrounded by water, but its construction was halted and completion deemed no longer necessary. The two towers at either end were then connected to neighboring curtain walls and the Buovo to the south raised by one floor. Restoration is not yet complete but it is already possible to traverse the new 140-meter-long elevated path, which now allows one to appreciate the view from above and the 12 artillery thrones arranged along the top of the great fortress.
Outside, two vast floodplain areas have formed over the centuries, the one to the north designated for the Venturini Natale public park and the one to the south of San Massimo home to rowing and boating activities.

Duration: 2 hours

Excursion in collaboration with the Padua Walls Committee Association.