The tower at Parco Ponci is a surviving fragment of the defensive system that once protected the Castello di Mestre.
Though only partially intact, the remaining structure – enclosed on three sides and open on the interior – offers a clear sense of its original function as part of a medieval military fortification.
The tower was part of the walls that encircled the Castelnuovo, the fortified nucleus of Mestre, which once featured over a dozen strategically placed towers and turrets.
From this position, the defensive walls extended towards two key points: Porta Altinate to the west and the Civic Tower to the south, forming part of the town’s protective perimeter.
Today, the remnants of the turret can be seen within Parco Ponci, a public space located just a short walk from Mestre’s city centre.
A 3D scale model of the Castelnuovo, as it appeared in 1405, is preserved in the frescoed hall on the first floor of the VEZ Civic Library. The model was created by students from the Berna Middle School in Mestre.
Photographs of the Parco Ponci turret by Gabriele Vattolo – City of Venice; model photos by Istituto Berna.
