ITALY

Perugia - Palazzo della Penna
7 October - 5 November 2011
Maps of Italy 1482 - 1861
by Fabrizio Ronca, Alberto Sorbini, Antonio Volpini

On the occasion of the celebrations for the unification of Italy (1861) an ehibitions was held in Perugia, entitled Charts of Italy 1482 - 1861, which illustrates the political and territorial evolution of the Country, as well as the progress of cartographic techniques, through the exhibition of 64 naps, dated from 1482 to 1861.

The exhibition, set up at Palazzo della Penna, means to illustrate - through both a scientific and artistic product as maps are, which combine beauty with usefulness - an aspect of Italian history, i.e., its representation from the end of the 15th century to 1861, when Italy was just a geographical entity.

The exhibition includes two parts: the first one displays 30 maps of the whole country, starting from the Berlinghieri map (1482), kept at the Augusta Library in Perugia, and closing with the splendid and very rare Panorama italiano ("Italian Panorama"), dated 1861, which celebrates the recent unification.

This map is oriented to the South: Italy stretches into the Mediterranean and has no internal boundaries as if the Country had already been unified, whereas we know that Veneto, Trentino and Friuli still were under Austrian domination, and today's Lazio was what was left of the Pope's Kingdom. The vignettes surrounding the geographicl representation are equally interesting expressions of patriotic rethoric, including famous men, crests of relevant cities (Rome and Venice are not represented), and then the peoples with their traditional local costumes and various ancient inhabitants from pre-Roman times to the 18th century. The intent is to convey the idea of an ever-exhisting nation, belonging to the Italian people as a natural condition.

The second section of the exhibition includes 34 maps representing the pre-unification States, so as to show the political-administrative fragmentation which was typical of our Country up to 1861, although the complete unification was attained a few years later.

The Catalogue of 176 pages, edited by Fabrizio Ronca, Alberto Sorbini e Antonio Volpini, includes various presentations and full-page color-reproductions of the 64 maps on display, together with captions with technical features and information for the full comprehension of the maps.

Promoting Committe: Institute of contemporary Umbria, Regione Umbria, Perugia Municipality.

Scientific Committe: Stefano Bifolco, Fabio Fatichenti, Alberto Melelli, Fabrizio Ronca, Alberto Sorbini, Mario Tosti, Antonio Volpini.

Contributors: Perugia Chamber of Commerce, Lungarotti Foundation, Augusta Local Library, Confindustria Perugia.

Map loaners: Augusta Local Library, Stefano Bifolco, Gianni Brandozzi, Lucio Clementi, Enzo Fusari, Fabrizio Ronca, Antonio Volpini.

The opening of the exhibition was attended by:

Catiuscia Marini, President of the Regione Umbria

Andrea Cernicchi, Town Councillor for Culture and Social Affairs, Municipality of Perugia

Mario Tosti, President of ISUC

Details of the exhibition rooms:

Only some of the most representative maps have been selected from the catalogue.

Berlingheri map,1482, Novella Italia, copper engraving, mm 515x380.
The map is in the Geographia by Francesco Berlingheri [...] printed in Florence by Nicolò Todesco (1482). The treatise is also known as Le sette giornate della Geographia, dedicated to Federico da Montefeltro, and is an improved remake in verses of Ptolomeus' work.

Bernardo Silvano from Eboli, 1511, Sexta Europae Tabula, woodcut, mm 560x410.
The map, printed in Venice 20 March 1511 by Giacomo Penzio "de Leucho" and dedicated to Andrea Matteo Acquaviva, Duke of Atri and Squire of Eboli, is outstanding for the quality of its coasts.

Nicolaus Visscher, 1652, Tabula Italiae, Corsicae, Sardiniae et adjacentiun Regnorum.
the cartouche shows in the middle the allegorical image of Italy, having to the sides the personifications of the rivers Tevere (to the left) e Po. At either end of the cartouche there are personifications of Mar Tosco (to the left) e Golfo di Venetia.
At the top and at the bottom of the frame there are vignettes of relevant towns, at either end regional costumes.

Ignaz Heymann (1765-1815). 1800 ca. Italia cioè tutte le grandi e picciole sovranità e Repubbliche d'Italia. Copper engraving by Pietro Zuliani, mm. 1050x1010.
Likely to be an unauthorized re-edition printed about the year 1800, of the map by Ignaz Heymann published in Trieste in 1799: with respect to the original it has less place-names, and small differences in the allegoric images.

Panorama Italiano, 1861. Litograph, mm 1120x810.
Splendid extremely rare map celebrating the unification of Italy through a perspective representation of the peninsula with no internal boundaries, and a lavish frame with 15 views, 46 portraits of personalities of Italian art, science and politics, including King Vittorio Emanuele II and Camillo Benso Count of Cavour; aroung the frame 78 crests of Italian towns.

To the left: ITALY / From the Original Map / by / G. A. Rizzi-Zannoni / Engraved for / The Classical Tour through Italy, / by the Rev.d J. C. Eustace / London, Published June 1, 1814 by J. Mawman. / Engraved by J. Smith, 1 Clements Inn, Strand. mm 451x1042

To the right: Statistical, Political, Mineralogical / and / Modern Map / of / Italy / contaning / All the Post Roads, Post Stations, Distances of Post, / and Cross Roads / together with the New Divisions, according to / the / Latest Treaties, / Dedicated to / The Emperor of Austria, / by / I. A. Orgiazzi. London, Published by Samuel Leigh, 18 Strand, / 1822. / Davies sculp. 10 Compton Str., Bruns.k Square.
La nota precisa che la carta has been reduced from the elaborate work of Bacler Dalbe in 52 sheets, but has received great improvements from several manuscript maps, from the Government Survey & Zannoni, &c. as wells as from the communications of scientific travellers; the mineralogical department has been obtained from Robillante's Mineralogical Map of Piedmont, and from the various works by Targioni, Tozzelli, Ermenegildo, Pini, Vandelli, Ferber, Dolomieu, Azuni, Galanti & others.
Below, explanations of the symbols and a list of mines. Copper engraving, mm 685x1140.

Both maps are disoriented by 45° westwise, thus appearing "straightened up". The map to the left practically ignores the islands, while the one to the right only shows part of Sardinia; the reason was to easily inser them in the travel books whch were very popular in the 18th century.

By Antonio Volpini, whom we gratefully thank.

Edited by Paola Presciuttini, October 2011