Old Map of Lake Como

First published in 1570, this old map of Lake Como formed part of Abraham Ortelius’s celebrated Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. The sheet actually contains three separate maps of northern and central Italy: Lake Como occupies the large upper panel, while maps of the territory surrounding Rome and the historic Friuli region appear beneath it.

Map Details

• Original titles: Larii Lacus Vulgo Comensis Descriptio; Territorii Romani Descrip.; Fori Iulii Vulgo Friuli Typus
• Atlas maker and publisher: Abraham Ortelius
• Lake Como source: Paolo Giovio
• First published: Antwerp, 1570
• Source atlas: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum
• Areas shown: Lake Como, the territory around Rome and Friuli
• Printing method: Copperplate engraving with applied colour
• Language: Latin
• Orientation: The three maps have their own individual orientations

The Lake Como panel bears the Latin title Larii Lacus Vulgo Comensis Descriptio, meaning “A Description of Lake Lario, commonly called Lake Como”. It credits Paolo Giovio, the Como-born physician, historian and scholar whose geographical knowledge provided the source for Ortelius’s representation.

Lake Como is shown with its unmistakable branching form surrounded by densely named towns and settlements. Como occupies the south-western end of the lake, while Bellagio stands near the meeting point of its three arms. Mountain ranges are drawn pictorially across the surrounding landscape, emphasising the lake’s position among the southern foothills of the Alps.

Rather than treating the water as an empty space, the engraver added ships and fine wave markings. Decorative curtains appear to have been drawn back at either side of the map, presenting the landscape almost as if it were a theatrical scene. This visual device complements the title of Ortelius’s atlas, which translates as the “Theatre of the World”.

The lower-left map depicts Rome and the surrounding countryside. The city is prominently marked beside the River Tiber, with neighbouring towns, roads, rivers and hills filling the wider territory.

The lower-right panel covers Friuli in north-eastern Italy, extending towards the northern Adriatic. Its title cartouche is designed as an open book, while the map records rivers, settlements and the mountainous country approaching the Alps.

Ortelius’s Theatrum Orbis Terrarum is commonly regarded as the first modern atlas: a deliberately organised collection of maps engraved to a consistent format and published as a unified volume. The three Italian maps appeared together from its first edition in 1570, although the same copperplate continued to be used in later editions. Without examining the text on the reverse, the exact printing year of this particular impression cannot be established securely.