The current walls of what was once the Este Castle were rebuilt by Ubertino da Carrara, Lord of Padua, starting in 1338, after the Paduans themselves destroyed the ancient walled medieval citadel.
The classic postcard of Este usually features the marvel of the walls that enclose a garden, at the outskirts of the city, feeding the imagination of a fabulous and happy Middle Ages.
The systemic effect of the towers that punctuate the walls according to the rules of military engineering prior to gunpowder is still evident today: high walls even if of reduced thickness, frequent towers that allow you to strike anyone who wants to ascend. A moat along the valley side, derived from the Bisatto (once a branch of the Adige called Sirone), made it more difficult to attack the walls and exposed the assailants to fire from the towers.
The corner tower (of Rescue) and the crenelated walls now appear extremely simple and of pure geometric design. Today we do not see a series of wooden superstructures that must have been present to make defense possible: walkways at the level of the crenellations, access ladders, movable platforms, and winches for moving heavier equipment, covers for protection from falling objects.
The analysis of the wall cladding reveals the particular condition of the Carrarese Walls, late compared to other medieval defenses in Italy, and built from scratch (1338) in a few years with highly skilled labor. In fact, the homogeneity of the wall texture indicates contemporary construction, without interruptions and patches, while the systematic and prominent corner reinforcements using bricks indicate the professionalism of the builders, perhaps more accustomed to building palaces than military works.
