Rome Puzzle – 540 pieces

Nolli’s Nova Topografia di Roma is, without a doubt, one of the most remarkable maps of Rome ever made. This large map was drawn by Giovanni Battista Nolli , an Italian engineer and architect, in 1748, in collaboration with Giovanni Battista Piranesi, and dedicated to Pope Benedict XIV.
The remarkable original size, 176 x 208 cm, was achieved by juxtaposing 12 sheets, which offer a vivid representation of the city, with details of its streets, churches, and other monuments, including more than 300 church plans. The map also included an index of Rome’s most notable buildings, “Of the Most Noteworthy Buildings Contained in the Plan.”
The map quickly became a model for urban representation due to its topographical accuracy and planimetric richness. Nolli’s map of Rome remains a significant reference in cartographic production.

New Topography of Rome

The Pope’s trust was rewarded with a splendid map composed of 12 sheets, measuring 176 x 208 centimetres and rich in detail.

The result was a prestigious and extraordinary large map , the New Topography of Rome , composed of 12 sheets and accompanied by detailed indexes of streets, churches and monuments, which was completed and published in 1748. The map also reports the new division of the city of Rome into 14 districts, established in 1744 by Benedict XIV (to whom the map is dedicated), which then led to the creation of splendid stone plaques, indicating streets and squares, many of which are still present in the streets of the Capital.

This map is considered by scholars and cartographers to be one of the most important historical documents of the city, and one of the most revealing and artistically charged urban plans of all time. Nolli’s map is a venographic plan of the city, as opposed to the bird’s-eye perspective that was the dominant cartographic representation style prior to his work. Not only was Nolli one of the first to construct a venographic map of Rome, his unique perspective has been copied ever since.

The map depicts the city in astonishing detail. Nolli achieved this using scientific surveying techniques, accurate underdrawings, and meticulously prepared engravings. The map’s graphic representations include a precise architectural scale, as well as a prominent compass rose, noting both magnetic and astronomical north.

The Nolli Map is the first accurate map of Rome since antiquity and captures the city at the height of its cultural and artistic achievements. Rome’s historic center has changed little in the last 250 years; therefore, the Nolli Map remains one of the best sources for understanding the contemporary city.

The map encompasses nearly eight square miles of the densely built city and surrounding terrain. It also identifies nearly two thousand sites of cultural significance. The technical accuracy of Nolli’s map is extraordinary, and confirmed by satellite imagery, it represents a milestone in the art and science of cartography. The map not only records Rome’s streets, squares, and public urban spaces, but also features detailed renderings of hundreds of building interiors.