Palmanova was a strategically situated fortified city built along the north-eastern frontier of the Venetian mainland. It was designed in 1593 by the military architect Giulio Savorgnan as a protection from an increasingly aggressive Ottoman Empire.It is a concentric city having the form of a star, with three nine-sided ring roads intersecting in the main military radiating streets. Typical of other fortified cities that were designed at the dawn of the Baroque age, the city of Palmanova imposed an exceptional geometrical harmony on the landscape and followed the idea that beauty reinforces the well-being of a society. In this conference, Professor Frasca explores various aspects concerning the design of this fascinating Italian city-fortress.