Venetian defensive walls of Bergamo, Peschiera, Palmanova become UNESCO World Heritage sites

The 16th- and 17th-century Venetian defensive walls of Bergamo, Peschiera del Garda, and Palmanova have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The decision was made at the 41st session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Kraków, Poland. The transnational serial nomination, titled "Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries: Stato da Terra – Western Stato da Mar," also includes fortifications in Zadar and Šibenik (Croatia) and Kotor (Montenegro), all part of the Republic of Venice's defensive system until its fall in 1797. Italy now has 53 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Bergamo's walls, enclosing the upper city (Bergamo Alta), were built between 1561 and 1588 under Venetian rule, designed by engineers Francesco Malacreda and Genesio Bersani at a cost of one million ducats. The six-kilometer circuit features 14 bastions, two platforms, 32 watchtowers (only one remains), two powder magazines, and four gates: Sant'Agostino, San Giacomo, Sant'Alessandro, and Garibaldi (formerly San Lorenzo). Bergamo mayor Giorgio Gori expressed pride and responsibility, emphasizing the shared commitment to conservation and international cooperation. The article also notes Lucca's Renaissance walls as a potential future UNESCO candidate, supported by critic Vittorio Sgarbi.