1935 Visceglia City Plan of Rome, Italy

A colorful, large-format 1935 Vincenzo Visceglia city map or plan of Rome, Italy - publication at the height of Italy's fascist era. Among other features, it highlights the monumental architecture and urban planning favored by Italy's fascist leader, Benito Mussolini.

A Closer Look

Coverage includes the urban center of Rome and its suburbs. The Tiber River cuts prominently down the left side of the map. Roman ruins, including the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum stand out at center towards bottom. Aside from streets, various piazze, churches, villas, government ministries, monuments, schools, and train stations (including the massive Roma Termini at right) are also labeled. At left is Vatican City.

Mussolini's Mark on Rome

This map was made at the height of Mussolini's power in Italy. The dictator, who aimed to build grandiose architecture mimicking Ancient Rome, was fond of schemes for remaking portions of Rome, though not always adept at seeing them through. Portions of the map display ghosted features, reflecting major projects that Mussolini hoped would remake the city, among them the Foro Mussolini, Piazza d'Armi, and Ippodromo. Most of these were completed as envisaged, though not necessarily to the scale originally imagined and, in some cases, somewhat shoddily due to time constraints and financial limitations. Others became less prominent in fascist ideology and propaganda; for instance, Mussolini soured on the Ippodromo as the 1930s went on, as the sport (horse racing) was seen as too British. Some works were ephemeral, meant for expositions or important events, such as the Mostra Augustea della Romanità (Augustan Exhibition of Romanity, celebrating 2,000 years since Augustus' ascension as emperor) in 1937 and 1938, which occupied the Palazzo delle Esposizioni (near center). Other projects were shelved due to the Second World War, most notably the construction planned for the aborted 1942 International Exposition.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by Vincenzo Visceglia and was printed by Grafica Romana. Both the map and the cover include the logo of the Italian Toponymic Organization (Ente Toponomastico Italiano), which, despite its name, may have been a corporation (Società Anonima). Visceglia appears to have published this map in many editions, with the present being the 13th, but they are all nonetheless scarce today. We have been unable to locate any examples of this edition in institutional collections or on the market, while the OCLC notes only one example each of the 1936 and 1940 editions, both held by the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma.