1824 Ruga City Map or Plan of Rome, Italy

This is an 1824 Pietro Ruga folding city map or plan of Rome, Italy. The map depicts Rome from the Vatican to the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem (Bas. di S. Croce in Gerusaleme) and from Piazza del Popolo to the San Sebastiano Gate. A wonderfully detailed masterpiece, Ruga's map traces the streets of Rome that remain mostly unchanged today. An ichnographic plan, the Colosseum, the Baths of Caracalla, and the Pantheon are among the ancient sites illustrated as horizontal cross-sections, allowing the viewer to see their floorplans. Numerous churches and basilicas, including St. Peter's in Vatican City, are shown in this way as well. All fourteen of Rome's rioni are identified by Roman numerals and correspond with an index situated in the lower right corner. An index of the city's monuments is included as well and is so extensive that it occupied part of both the left and right sides. Sixteen detailed views of some of these monuments appear on the left and right borders. Ruga selected a mix of ancient and modern sites, including St. Peter's Basilica, the Pantheon of Agrippa, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and the Basilica of St. Paul.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by Pietro Ruga and published by Venanzio Monaldini in 1824. Several editions of this map were published beginning in 1818 through at least the late 1840s, most likely for the well-educated traveler visiting Rome on the Grand Tour.