Terra del Sole

Terra del Sole is a town constructed in 1564 for Cosimo I de’ Medici by Baldassarre Lanci of Urbino, in what is now the Province of Forlì-Cesena, northern Italy.

Designed on a rectangular plan, with a square inner wall with a bastion at each corner.

Terra del Sole was not just a residential town, but also had a strong defence to meet any onslaught that may have arisen following the recent invention, and common use of firearms in military attacks.

Two small castles within the walls were the strongholds of the "Captain of the Artillery" and the "Governor of the City".

The central piazza was named "Piazza d’Armi", and was enclosed by the principal public buildings of - Church of Santa Reparata, the Palazzo del Provveditore, the Palazzo della Cancelleria, other civic buildings, and the Palazzo Pretorio (today the Museum of Man and the Environment) The town still stands and today has a population of 6,096, while small clusters of houses have sprung up outside its walls.