1887 Anonymous City Plan or Map of Rome, Italy

This is a striking 1887 tourism and transportation map of Rome, Italy, highlighting the city's historic monuments.

A Closer Look

The map depicts the city within the Aurelian Walls (built by Emperor Aurelian between 271 and 275 AD) from the Piazza del Popolo to the Monte Testaccio and includes Vatican City. 175 monuments are numerically identified throughout the city and correspond with an index in the lower left. The Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica are identified, along with the Pantheon and the Colosseum (also labeled directly on the map), the Baths of Caracalla, the Circus Maximus, and the Roman Forum, as well as more modern sites, including the Trevi Fountain and the Capitoline Museums. Transport networks are also included, including the train station and Rome's single tram line. A red line illustrates Rome's old Servian Walls, which were superseded by the Aurelian Walls. A list of city gates occupies the upper right.

Publication History and Census

This map is unsigned but published in 1887. We note a single cataloged example, which is part of the collection at Harvard University.