Gradisca d'Isonzo

Venice built a fortress town here on the right bank of the Isonzo in the late 1400s as a bulwark against Turkish raids, and in 1500 sent Leonardo da Vinci to improve its defences. Habsburg rule followed, and under the Eggenberg princes the garrison filled with noble palaces. Today you enter through Porta Nuova, past six surviving towers, into a compact centre made for walking.

Highlights

• Enoteca La Serenissima, regional DOC wines in the Venetian governors' house
• Palazzo Torriani, the town hall, with the Luigi Spazzapan gallery
• Porta Nuova and the six towers of the Venetian walls
• Baroque cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, with Niccolò della Torre's tomb
• Loggia dei Mercanti, home to the civic collection of stone inscriptions

Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.