Cascina city walls
Historic defense system for the city
The walls surrounding the city of Cascina were documented for the first time in 1292. In reality, a structure around the historic centre already existed, but being made of wood, it was probably strengthened at the end of the 1200s.
Cascina held strategic importance in that era, so it had to defend itself during continuous conflicts between Pisa and Florence, but more importantly, it had to defend its farmed fields. For this reason, a military tower, castle and, later, defense walls were all built.
Of course, based on the political climate in the area, the wall underwent various modifications, with different materials and further additions each time. The presence of two gates is known, Porta Pisana to the west and Porta Fiorentina to the east, as well as 12 defense towers, some of which reached almost 8 metres. Surrounding the walls was a moat with two drawbridges that were later replaced by brick bridges.
Currently, the city walls look very fragmented due to changes to the original structure.
