The patron saint of Palmanova is Saint Justina of Padua, celebrated on 7 October: the same date coincides with the anniversary of the founding of the city's fortress.
Palmanova, called the «star city» for its nine-pointed polygonal plan, was founded by the Venetians in 1593. The 1521 Treaty of Worms, which ended a long war between Venice and Austria, had established «leopard-spot» borders, with Venetian enclaves wedged into Habsburg territory: concerned for the integrity of its territory, the Republic's Senate decided to build a new fortress very close to the border, entrusting the design to a team of military engineers led by Giulio Savorgnan. On 7 October 1593 the first stone of the new fortress was laid, and Marc'Antonio Barbaro was named first provveditore generale of Palma. Over the centuries the city passed several times between Austrians, French (who in 1805 added a third ring of fortifications with Napoleonic lunettes) and Habsburgs again, before becoming part of the Kingdom of Italy.
