1945 U.S. Army Education Section City Map or Plan of Florence, Italy

Created as a resource for soldiers on leave from the front, this is a c. 1945 Information and Education Section of MTOUSA (Mediterranean Theater of Operations United States Army) city map or plan of Florence, Italy. The map depicts the center of Florence from the Giardino Torrigiani to the Ponte di Ferro and the Piazza Beccaria and from the Cloister of the Scalzo to the Piazzale di Porta Romana and the Giardino delle Scuderie Reali. Streets throughout the city center are illustrated with the major streets and plazas identified by name. The main train station is depicted as well. The map is surrounded by the names and descriptions of forty-three cultural sites scattered around the city center, with red lines directing the soldier's attention to each site's relative location. Some of the sites are illustrated in profile, including the Cathedral, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Church of Santa Croce, the Ponte Vecchio, and the Palazzo Strozzi. The House of Galileo, the Uffizi Gallery, the House of Dante, and several churches and cloisters are among the other locations identified but not illustrated. An index of possibly unfamiliar terms is situated in the upper right corner and defines such words as 'cloister', 'fresco', 'loggia', and 'nave'. Part of the text on the verso imparts advice to visiting soldiers about the best way to see the city, some of which is good advice for the modern visitor as well.

If you chose this individual way of seeing Florence, don't try to look at every picture or statue in an gallery or church; there are too many. Glance around quickly for the picture or statue that interests you, and enjoy that one. Don't be afraid to use this map; carry it around and read the text on the spot. And finally don't hesitate to visit the Florentine churches, regardless of your religion; these welcome visitors at any time.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by the Information and Education Section of MTOUSA c. 1945. The OCLC records examples in the collections of Duke University, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library in Chicago, and Oklahoma State University.