For Cascina, Leonardo represents and indicates the city's fourteenth-century walls, a reference point for his studies and projects for deviating the Arno upstream of Pisa. He indicates it again on folio 305r del Codex Atlanticus («Casscina») and on various folios in Madrid Ms. II (1r, 2r, 7v, 16r, 22v, 53r). Particularly significant is the note on folio 7v of the latter codex, specifying «Here is the view». From Cascina Leonardo studied and drew the Monti Pisani with Verruca and the fortifications at the foot of the mountain on the other side of the Arno.

Still visible in the historic centre are the remains of the encircling walls, originally fortified with 14 towers, and the axis of traversal that shows the importance of this town located on the great thoroughfare of communication between Florence and Pisa.