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Antique Maps of Europe
Ortelius Map of Italy, 1570
Italiae Novissima Descriptio — Abraham Ortelius after Giacomo Gastaldi, Antwerp
From the LOC (Library of Congress), Geography & Map Division · 1570
$129Charged in USD at checkout; local currency shown for reference.
Source scan:LOC. Rights statement of the archive: “Materials are in the public domain and free to use/reuse; credit the Library of Congress (Parallel Histories collection) [as summarised by fetch of item JSON]” Original map: Abraham Ortelius, 1570, 1 atlas (viii, [106] leaves, [60] p.) : hand col. maps ; 45 cm (fol.); 53 map sheets with text on verso. Verified 2026-09-13.
This product is a new archival print made from a restored scan of that map. It is not an original antique and is not sold as one.
The story of this map
In 1570 Abraham Ortelius of Antwerp published the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, generally counted as the first modern atlas: a set of uniform maps of the whole known world, bound together in one volume. This is his Italy from that first edition, based on the work of the Piedmontese cartographer Giacomo Gastaldi, whose name Ortelius credits in the title.
The peninsula is instantly recognisable and yet pleasingly of its time. Regions and city names are lettered in the Latin of the day, the mountains are drawn as little shaded humps, and the seas are given the stippled texture that Ortelius’ engravers loved. The Library of Congress copy was coloured by hand, so Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and the mainland regions each carry their own soft wash.
Italy has been drawn thousands of times since, but a map from the very first atlas has a particular charm. It is old enough that Venice was still a republic and Rome the centre of a papal state, and the whole country reads as a collection of duchies and territories rather than one nation.
It belongs to our Antique Maps of Europe collection and pairs beautifully with the de’ Barbari view of Venice, or with our Ortelius world map for a matched pair from the same atlas. Hang it in a dining room or kitchen where Italian food is cooked and argued about. Each print is made to order on archival matte paper and framed in the country of delivery.
Before and after
Left: the archive scan exactly as published. Right: the file that goes to the printer.
Restoration notes
Restoration plan: isolate the Italy sheet from the bound 1570 atlas scan (exact page still to be confirmed), crop scan margins, balance colour cast and levels while keeping the paper tone, reduce any show-through from the text printed on the verso, remove library stamps and scanner artefacts if present, gentle sharpening. No repainting of original content.
Every print carries its archive credit on the packing slip. Paper tone and small imperfections of the original are kept on purpose; nothing is redrawn.
Pairs well with
Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print
Informational purposes only, no warranties, not professional advice. All products are new archival prints made from restored scans of historical maps held by public archives; they are not original antiques. Colours vary by screen and by paper.
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