This is the first of a triptych about an episode of the history of Padua occurred in 1509. This bastion is close to my home, and not as the protagonists saw it at the time. In fact is was built just after the siegeto substitute the one built in a hurry, and most of it was interred in the 19th century. The so-called 'guasto' or the wasteland, full of ditches, marshes and traps against the enemies,surrounding it, together with the (interred)moat, is now a busy crossroad and a neighbourhood. This triptych is a companion of Flavia49's story. The characters come from different reenactments. The Venetians were faced in 1509 by a league of virtually all the European states with the exceptions of Hungary and of England. Actually, Henry VIII also offered the Venetians a loan, and signed a friendship treaty with them. In the spring of 1509, a French army of 20,000 soldiers left Milan and crossed the Adda River into Venetian territory. On May 14, 1509 this French force met and destroyed an evenly-matched Venetian mercenary army. The Venetians gave up Verona, Bergamo, Brescia, Vicenza and even Padova, retreating into the natural fortress of their lagoons. The entire Venetian land empire had been lost in a single day. The Venetians were able to retake Padova, but had to defend it against the German Emperor and 100,000 troops. Thousands of peasants flocked to Padua. Before they built the defenses, then they turned into soldiers remembering the violence suffered by their families, especially their women. The besieged Padua defied the mercenaries of the King of France and the Emperor Maximilian I the Pennyless exposing a she-cat on the ramparts. The symbolic use of cats is very old and lasted until the revolution of 1848. The cat is the symbol of the woman, her liberty and fertility. In Padua Giovanni de 'Gregori, said Citolo from Perugia, one of the most courageous mercenary warlords, proposed it to the peasants and soldiers, in order to defy the ‘cats’ that is a type of cannons used in the siege by the Emperor. The symbolic use of the cat is described in several epics. Despite three furious assaults in September 1509, the bastion wasn't captured. Thanks to the valuable "Histoire du gentil seigneur de Bayard" by Jacques de Maille we know that the attack on the bastion failed not only because of the courage of the defenders but also for the class pride of the knights who served the Emperor and didn't want to fight on foot. The composer of the song Gatta (Pussy-cat), which was published immediately after the episode remained unknown. It is a text full of pride insulting violently the enemies. La Gatta of Padua, a symbol of femininity, cannot be touched by any outrage. Thank you for your kind comments.