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All Italy Imola Piazza Matteotti

Piazza Matteotti

This Renaissance square was at the center of Leonardo da Vinci's map, the first ichnographic ever.

Imola, Italy

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Marco Dst
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Imola - palazzo comunale   Photo by Vanni Lazzari is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Palazzo Comunale di Imola e l’orologio   Photo by Dst81 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Piazza Matteotti - Palazzo comunale   Photo by Dst81 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Palazzo Riario Sersanti (Imola)   Photo by Vanni Lazzari is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Palazzo Comunale (Imola)   Photo by DiLeoTommasoFabio is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Palazzo Comunale - Piazza Matteotti   Photo by DiLeoTommasoFabio is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Piazza Matteotti - Palazzo Riario Sersanti   Photo by Dst81 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
An example of artistic representation of Imola   Sentruper
The map drawn by Leonardo Da Vinci.   Sailko
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About

Between 1499 and 1501 Cesare Borgia, the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander IV, defeated Caterina Sforza, Lady of Imola and Countess of Forli, to conquer Romagna. After his victory, he appointed Leonardo da Vinci to the position of General Architect and Engineer. In 1502, he ordered him to study the fortification of the region. One of his first tasks was to draw a map of the city of Imola.

This moment would change cartography forever. Previously, maps representing the city were crafted from an artistic perspective, usually from a hillside view. Buildings often lacked details and areas were not true to scale. This kind of representation was a hindrance to military operations.

Palazzo Comunale, the place where the Roman maximum thistle (Via Appia) and maximum decumanus (Via Emilia) crossed, was chosen by da Vinci as the city's center point. From there, the city was divided into eight sectors. Da Vinci measured various streets and landmarks using a compass and odometer. Geometry helped him complete his work and effectively created the first "flattened map" in history. A map that is still reliable more than 500 years later.

However, this historical map does include some unanswered questions. The medieval platea magna now Piazza Matteotti, has changed very little since 1474 and has a trapezoidal shape. However, the plaza on da Vinci's map is the shape of a rectangular. It's not clear as to why, but it may have been done to enhance the architectural proportions of the Renaissance.

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History & Culture Maps Renaissance Design

Know Before You Go

The map is part of the Royal Windsor Collection of the United Kingdom. It's possible to see a big ceramic reproduction of it in the rail station of Imola.

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Marco Dst

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September 10, 2020

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Piazza Matteotti
183 Via Emilia
Imola, 40026
Italy
44.352855, 11.715576
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