Citta di Venetia Descritta Dal P. Coronelli Cosmografo Della Serenissima Republica is a triumphant bird’s-eye portrait of Venice at the apogee of its power, composed in 1690 by Vincenzo Maria Coronelli. The view invites the eye to meander through a filigree of canals and campi while celebrating the city’s identity with the central winged Lion of Saint Mark, a resounding emblem of authority and faith. Coronelli’s refined, late 17th-century elegance is everywhere: an ornate laurel-branch border encircles the scene and a vibrant palette animates façades, quays, and waterways. As a city map, it is remarkable for unifying urban clarity with ceremonial splendor—simultaneously a navigable plan of daily life and a grand, persuasive image of the Serenissima’s civic soul.

The map’s urban anatomy is legible and enthralling. The Canal Grande winds through the city as its principal artery, joined by the Canal Salute, whose waters lead the gaze toward key districts and routes. Piazza San Marco anchors the ceremonial heart, while the Riva degli Schiavoni unfurls as a bustling waterfront. The Zattere and Fondamenta Nove define opposite maritime edges, balancing commerce and circulation. Across the interior, Strada Nova, Via Garibaldi, and Via XXII Marzo reveal purposeful axes, complemented by the intimate meshes of Salizada San Moisè, Calle dei Fabbri, and Calle del Traghetto. Along the northern rim, Fondamenta della Misericordia emphasizes the city’s long, habitable shoreline. In Coronelli’s hands, Venice’s famed complexity resolves into a readable, rhythmic plan.

Coronelli punctuates the composition with scenes of civic life and sacred grandeur. The Basilica della Salute rises prominently, its profile both architectural triumph and votive memory, signaling the city’s resilience and devotion. Public space is articulated through Campo San Giovanni e Paolo, Campo Santa Margarita, and Campo San Bartolomeo—squares that stage processions, markets, and the everyday negotiations of a maritime republic. Lavoratori—animated figures and ships—populate quays and canals, underscoring the choreography of work, trade, and transit. This is a city map that breathes: one perceives not only where Venice is arranged, but how it moves, trades, worships, and converses across stone pavements and shimmering water.

An eloquent heraldic program frames the view and declares the Venetian Republic’s reach. Eighty-six medallions of coats of arms parade along the border, each carefully engraved, each a testament to cities bound within the Serenissima’s orbit. The winged Lion of Saint Mark presides as guardian and guarantor, while the laurel-branch border wreathes Venice with classical honor. Color and line serve a dual vocation: to delight the eye and to narrate sovereignty, history, and allegiance. The result is both atlas and anthem—cartography in the service of statecraft—rendered with the exacting beauty that made late 17th-century Venetian print culture the envy of Europe.

Vincenzo Maria Coronelli, the celebrated Venetian cartographer and cosmographer, marshaled rare authority for such a vision. Founder of the Accademia degli Argonauti—Europe’s first geographical society—and creator of monumental globes for European nobility, he fused scientific rigor with theatrical imagination. In this 1690 masterpiece, his draughtsmanship and scholarship converge: a city precisely measured, symbolically crowned, and luminously told. As a city map it is uniquely compelling, for it balances navigational intelligence with the poetry of place. Collectors prize Coronelli not only for accuracy but for insight—the way he translates power, procession, and everyday life into a single, harmonized view of Venice.

Streets and roads on this map

• Campo San Bartolomeo
• Campo San Giovanni e Paolo
• Campo Santa Margarita
• Canal Grande
• Canal Salute
• Calle dei Fabbri
• Calle del Traghetto
• Corte de le Feste
• Fondamenta della Misericordia
• Fondamenta Nove
• Piazza San Marco
• Riva degli Schiavoni
• Salizada San Moisè
• Strada Nova
• Via Garibaldi
• Via XXII Marzo
• Zattere

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Basilica della Salute: Prominently displayed, illustrating its architectural significance.
• Winged Lion of Saint Mark: Central emblematic figure representing Venice's historical and spiritual heritage.
• Coats of Arms: 86 medallions representing various cities within the Venetian Republic, intricately designed along the map's border.
• Lavoratori: Illustrations of people and ships, highlighting commerce and daily life in Venice.

Historical and design context

• 1690 bird’s-eye view of Venice: Citta di Venetia Descritta Dal P. Coronelli Cosmografo Della Serenissima Republica by Vincenzo Maria Coronelli.
• Mapmaker context: Coronelli was a renowned Venetian cartographer and cosmographer; founded the Accademia degli Argonauti; produced monumental globes and significant cartographic publications.
• Themes: Showcases Venice’s intricate urban layout and architectural grandeur; celebrates the Venetian Republic through heraldic symbolism.
• Regions shown: Focused on Venice within the Venetian Republic, highlighted via the coats of arms of its cities.
• Design/style: Highly detailed imagery with an ornate laurel-branch border and vibrant color palette, exemplifying late 17th-century cartographic elegance with symbolically significant elements.
• Historical significance: A pinnacle of late 17th-century cartographic artistry, reflecting Venice’s grandeur and Coronelli’s exceptional skill.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

Please note: the labels on this map are hard to read if you order a map that is 16in (40cm) or smaller. The map is still very attractive, but if you would like to read the map easily, please buy a larger size.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.