Italy

Antique maps of Italy present one of the most varied and historically layered collecting areas in European cartography, reflecting the peninsula’s long history of independent city-states, changing political boundaries and strategic coastal geography. Italy was among the first regions to be systematically mapped by Renaissance cartographers, and Italian geographic scholarship informed European mapmaking well into the 17th century.

Major publishing centres in Rome, Venice and Amsterdam produced influential maps of Italian states including the Papal States, the Kingdom of Naples, Tuscany, Lombardy and Venetia. Cartographers such as Giacomo Gastaldi, Ortelius, Blaeu and later Coronelli contributed works that combined geographic precision with exceptional decorative quality. Town plans of Rome, Venice, Naples, Florence and Milan are particularly sought by collectors, offering detailed views of cities whose historic centres retain much of their original character.

Original antique maps of Italy are valued for their artistic refinement, historical depth and the insight they provide into the cartographic traditions of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The Antique Print & Map Room holds a regularly updated selection across all periods and regions.