Città Alta: Her Holy Highness

Adjacent to Chirichia, Villa, and the Historic Center, Città Alta (High City) initially served as a transit area (its forests once hosted the first railway connecting Villa and the Historic Center) and gradually became one of the focal points of city life.

Shortly after the founding of the City of Cismarina, Città Alta became a target for conquest by the City’s Kings: its proximity to three strategically important locations attracted many urban planners to the royal court.

But let’s start with an interesting fact: the neighborhood’s name, Città Alta (High City), actually stems from a misunderstanding. While the area now occupied by the Library was always elevated relative to the Historic Center and Chirichia, the rest of the district sits at a normal altitude, level 64. Once development began, the name stuck to the area and was never changed.

For a long time, High City was merely a passage between Chirichia and the Historic Center, with the library complex, complete with a prison, serving as a northern stronghold. Over time, however, the Library became just one of the key landmarks in a gradually expanding district characterized by irregular architecture and uneven development.

The avenue running from the Library to the Cathedral symbolizes humanity’s conquest of the wild. This entire area was once dominated by vegetation, gradually cleared and urbanized, with the collected materials greatly aiding the construction of the district.

Library-Prison Complex

Initially conceived as an outpost near High City’s forest, the structure began as a simple, nearly cubic tower. Over time, the complex grew more than tenfold. Inspired by a convent with a magnificent central cloister, the Library-Prison Complex is now one of the city’s historic landmarks.

Due to the building and furnishing costs, expansion was slow. The original royal-era concept was gradually integrated: the Library was added after initial construction, the Prison floor was first built entirely, later underwent ceiling renovation with an added level, and finally, ground-floor paving was completed only recently, more than ten years after the original construction.

The decision to house both the Library and Prison in the same building was driven by capacity needs, a lack of alternatives at the time, and historical planning logic.

Village of the Sun ("Villaggio del Sole")

Village of the Sun is a section of High City leveled during development while I frequently listened to Frank Zappa’s “Village of the Sun” on Spotify. The area’s name comes from this inspiration.

The Herald of Cismarina ("L'Araldo di Cismarina")

Founded in the royal era, The Herald of Cismarina was the city’s newspaper and publishing company. Its first headquarters drew inspiration from 1950s–60s buildings and the principles of New Rationalism, featuring a double tower with a sunlit central staircase.

The company quickly published key works, including the Lucian Constitution, the city’s first, and the works of Frank X. The building, however, fell into disuse and was eventually demolished. It once stood near Village of the Sun.

Civic Guards Headquarters (now the Cismarina Flag Museum)

When leveling the land around Village of the Sun revealed more space than anticipated, the city realized it lacked a policing body. This led to the founding of the Civic Guards, answerable to the Governor but independent. A modern building was constructed to house them.

The Civic Guards are essentially iron golems protecting the Villagers. Although the building was completed quickly, it was never fully outfitted and more recently became the Cismarina Flag Museum.

Fountain of the Five Towers

East of the Civic Guards building stands a fountain composed of five towers, beloved by the population. The Five Towers represent the five Governors and Kings buried north of the Monumental District Market – Monte.

Cismarina Bank Building

Growing intercity trade demanded a facility to collect emeralds and other precious stones essential for stabilizing the economy. The new Bank Building included a spacious underground vault, offices for executives, and a large rooftop terrace.

Construction was lengthy, using rare yellow sandstone, whose extraction from the Desert District – Temple was restricted by law to protect the territory. Recently, the underground vault was renovated to improve organization and increase capacity. It is accessible via the Gold Line – Bank.

Villa Turchi

A magnificent green-blue Victorian wooden villa, Villa Turchi was built in a challenging area of High City by Governor Filippo Turchi, one of the longest-serving and most important governors in the city’s history. Though smaller than Villa Cismarina, it is spacious and regularly used by current governors for short stays.

Three skeletal horses were found in its garden over a short period and saved, prompting the construction of the villa’s stable. It’s also one of the few places in the city where bees live undisturbed on a small artificial island in the park.

Cismarina Cathedral

Inspired by Notre-Dame in Paris, this magnificent cathedral is the largest place of worship in the Federal Republic. Built a few years after the first Cathedral of Grontolom, its construction was a massive undertaking, complicated by height dangers and limited royal knowledge.

The cathedral features two towers, a bread distribution area for the needy, an elevated balcony accessible via spiral staircases on both north and south façades, a crypt housing all Kings and some Governors, and important historical artifacts, including the Dragon Egg obtained after slaying a dragon.

Rowing Club ("Circolo dei Canottieri")

Part of Village of the Sun and built on the river, the Rowing Club was intended for the entertainment of Kings and Governors wishing to train in fast river navigation. The modern structure includes a sunlit basement with large windows and access to the enormous quarry created during the construction of Cismarina Cathedral.

Four Pillars Square

Built in Village of the Sun, the square represents the four pillars of Cismarina.

Herald of Cismarina & Neighborhood's Headquarters

One of the city’s largest palaces in terms of coverage, grandeur, and height, it was among the first modern monumental buildings. Renovated multiple times to adapt to contemporary aesthetics and blend with nearby buildings, it now houses High City’s Neighbourhood's Headquarters and The Herald of Cismarina, originally located in a demolished building of the same name.

Academy of Cismarina

A futuristic, ultra-modern facility, the Academy hosts Cismarina’s School of Architecture. All major city and federal projects were designed here, with some archives accessible to scholars and enthusiasts.

Carpet Square ("Piazza del Tappeto")

Located just behind Palazzo degli Scacchi (Neighborhood 1 – Villa), this area had been abandoned and uneven for nearly a decade. It was leveled to create an attractive urban connection between Città Alta and the Neighborhood "Pescatore", bypassing Villa. Its name comes from the central oval pavement resembling a carpet, echoed in decorative motifs.

Governors of Cismarina Square ("Piazza dei Governatori")

Contemporary with the Academy of Cismarina, this enormous outdoor and semi-underground space was intended to house commemorative plaques for all Governors of Cismarina and, later, the Federal Republic. The plan was never fully realized due to the project’s scale, but the space remains visually striking.