Description of the attraction
The Medici Wall is part of the defensive system of the historic center of Grosseto, one of the best-preserved city walls in Italy. Ancient walls surrounded Grosseto as early as the 12-14th centuries. They were destroyed and rebuilt more than once, until during the reign of the Medici dynasty a defensive system was erected in their place, consisting of hexagonal walls and several bastions. Construction began in 1574 by order of Francesco I Medici, and the walls were designed by the architect Baldassare Lanci. The large-scale project required a huge number of workers - to solve this problem, a special decree was issued, according to which every prison in Tuscany supplied prisoners to construction sites. The work was completed 19 years later, already under Ferdinando I. In the same years, underground cisterns were built to collect rainwater.
An imposing five-sided bastion is erected at each corner of the hexagonal structure, protruding outward in the shape of an arrow. The ancient citadel of Kassero Senese is protected by a second defensive wall facing the inner city. The ruins of the guard rooms can be seen at the top of the bastions. Galleries, storerooms, all kinds of niches and hiding places have retained their original appearance and create an atmosphere of bygone times in the fortress with its narrow staircases and tiled floors. Until 1757, the outer part of the Medici Wall was surrounded by a moat, and in addition to several small doorways, it had two main gates: one in the north - Porta Nuova, the second in the south - Porta Vecchia, formerly known as Porta Reale.
Today the Medici Wall has been transformed into a city park. This transformation is the result of the policy of Leopold II, who in 1855 ordered the demolition of some military towers and soldiers' barracks, which deprived the fortress of its warlike appearance. And during the Second World War, one of the last guardhouses was destroyed, known as the Casino delle Palle and decorated with frescoes. The only surviving guardhouses are located at the Bastion of Santa Lucia and the Bastion of Vittoria.
