Italy: Castelfranco Veneto

Castelfranco Veneto is a perfectly preserved medieval town surrounded by walls and defensive tower all around its perimeter. The walls, among the best-preserved in Italy, enclose the historic core. The town was founded in 1195 when the nearby Treviso (an independent state at the time) decided to built a defensive outpost on the border with Vicenza and Padua (two other sovereign city states back then). Treviso sent 100 men to built a fortress aka castle and the men were given free land and liberated from any tax obligations – hence the name Castelfranco “castle free”. The town is also the birthplace of the famous renaissance painter Giorgione.