The influence of the resistance of the connection between a terminal of voltage limiting diodes against discharges of electrostatic nature which may hit a pad of an integrated circuit and a respective common potential node of the integrated circuit (supply or ground node) is unsuspectably critical. A resistance of just few ohms may depress the maximum tolerable discharge voltage by several thousands volts and the relationship between such two parameters is hyperbolic. Such a critical resistance may advantageously be reduced by utilizing more levels of metallization purposely connected in parallel and/or by "shifting" the protection diodes near the real (and not virtual) common potential node of the circuit or by utilizing "ring" metallizations over different levels for both the common potential nodes of the circuit.