With its homogeneous six-pointed star plan, Sabbioneta is inspired by the model of an ideal city.
But at the same time it is a fortress city, which responds to the defensive needs of its Prince.
The ingenious project, to which Vespasiano Gonzaga dedicated his entire life, was successfully realized in thirty years and has remained almost unchanged since 1591.
The city-state of Sabbioneta was born with a unitary design: a capital 500 meters in diameter surrounded by mighty walls, which trace a hexagon with six wedge-shaped bastions.
One of the most sophisticated military fortification models in Europe, it embodies the Renaissance urban planning principles of order, proportion, rationality, and harmony. The 34 blocks, divided by orthogonal axes, reflect the layout of the ancient Roman castrum.
Through a trick of perspective, the streets appear illusionistically dilated in space and broken up to disorient the invaders.
Sabbioneta has all the buildings necessary for the functions of a modern, autonomous and cultured court.
Walking through the city, we can still see signs of the Prince's power today, many of which have survived intact to this day.