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In Cagli there are only few traces of the walls which once surrounded the small town. The walls were built over a period of 80 years from 1288 into the 14th century. The walls surrounded and protected Cagli during an age when the town was vulnerable to invasions because of its central geographical location. The walls stood about 30 feet tall, leaving only four archways around Cagli for entering and leaving.

The walls remained intact until the early 15th century when a gradual deconstruction began. The first destruction of the walls was said to have taken place at the hands of the town's own people after they learned a Rimini knight named Valentino planned to attack them. The knight had been paid to destroy and conquer all the towns ruled by the Duke of Urbino, including Cagli. Valentino's orders came from the Vatican which was frequently at odds with the Duke.

Afraid of being trapped within the walls and then eventually having them torn down anyway, the citizens of Cagli took the first step and started to destroy the walls. The remains of the wall were then used to build houses in Cagli.

Valentino did not completely conquer all of the Duke's land but did succeed in vanquishing Cagli. Further deconstruction of the walls continued up until the 1950s as pieces of the walls were removed before they deteriorated further as well as to make way for more roads in and out of the town. Today, two of the four original arches stand at opposite ends of the town, with pieces of the remaining walls standing beside them.

A Special Thanks: Ernesto Paleani is an accomplished archeologist and historian who has produced 14 books on various historical aspects of Italy. Paleani studied humanistic studies at Liceo Classico, the equivalent of senior high school, at the Vatican and received a law degree at the University of Urbino where he now teaches classes in history. Recently, Paleani has translated the first volume of "Memoire della Cittą di Cagli Di Antionio Gucci" from Latin into Italian. The book cites the history of Cagli from 300-1288 A.D. We would like to thank Mr. Paleani for both his cooperation and generosity.
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