Georeferenced Maps

The Georeferencing

Georeferencing the maps was done by hand, point-for-point, using the most outstanding details and landmarks. For the city of Rome, these were obelisks, triumphal arches, and the features of the Aurelian wall surrounding the city. For latium and Abruzzi, these were mostly landmarks like town centers, bridges, single towers.

All geo-referencing was done using the Open-Source QGIS modules.

The Maps of Rome

Fortunately, since the time of Nolli most maps of Rome are based on exact measurements and therefore for the most part quite easily geo-referenced. Note that we have deliberately refrained from showing the Nolli map simply because it's too easy and obvious ... instead enjoy the more uncommon maps!

To make comparisons easier, we've also put up all of the maps listed below on a big mesh-up where you can easily play with different transparency levels:

Mesh-Up Maps of Rome

The Maps of Latium

The library possesses much less detailed topographic maps of Latium. Unfortunately, the Sickler plan is not based on exact measurements and therefore hard (if not impossible) to geo-reference.

The Maps of Abruzzi / Regno delle Due Sicilie

We only have a very basic collection maps of the Abruzzi region so far: the most detailed are the first four plates from the famous Ricci-Zannoni depicting the Regno di Napoli at the beginning of the 19th century. Note that one of the plates of the Ricci-Zannoni (pl.VI) is missing.