A small map of the State of Milan taken from Vincenzo Coronelli’s famous work *Città e fortezze dello Stato di Milano…*, published in Venice in 1693. The map covers the entire central-western Po Valley, extending northward toward the Alps, the Lombard lakes (Maggiore, Como, Lugano, Iseo, and Garda), and the territories of Switzerland and Trentino; to the west, it borders the Savoyard Piedmont (including Turin, Asti, and Vercelli); to the south, it crosses the Ligurian Apennines to reach the shores of the “Sea of Genoa”; and to the east, finally, it extends to the domains of the Venetian Republic (Bergamo, Brescia, Verona) and the duchies of Mantua, Parma, and Modena.
Vincenzo Maria Coronelli (Venice, 1650–1718) is universally regarded as one of the greatest geographers, cartographers, and cosmographers of the Baroque era. A Conventual Franciscan, Coronelli was able to combine his deep religious vocation with an extraordinary and tireless scientific, publishing, and entrepreneurial career.
Having entered the Order of Friars Minor Conventual at a very young age, he soon demonstrated an exceptional talent for the study of mathematics and geography. His international fame was definitively established in the early 1680s when, at the invitation of Cardinal César d’Estrées, he moved to Paris to create two monumental globes (one terrestrial and one celestial) with a diameter of nearly four meters intended for the Sun King, Louis XIV. These masterpieces, known as the Marly Globes, astonished Europe with their scientific precision and the artistic magnificence of their decorations.
Upon returning to Venice, in 1684 Coronelli founded the Accademia degli Argonauti, considered the world’s first geographical society, through which he promoted the dissemination of geographical knowledge and the publication of atlases of extraordinary value. Appointed Cosmographer of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, he established a highly productive publishing workshop within the Convent of the Frari.
Among his monumental works are the *Atlante Veneto* (1691–1696), a monumental publishing undertaking intended as an ideal continuation of Blaeu’s work; the *Corso geografico universale* (1692); and the pioneering *Biblioteca Universale Sacro-Profana*, an ambitious project for an alphabetical encyclopedia that unfortunately remained unfinished.
Appointed Minister General of his Order in 1701, Coronelli traveled extensively throughout Europe, gathering firsthand data, measurements, and maps. His cartographic output is distinguished by the transition from the purely decorative model of the early 17th century to a more rigorous approach, based on the latest astronomical discoveries and the accounts of contemporary travelers. His legacy remains a milestone in the history of science, having transformed cartography from an empirical discipline into a precise geometric and geopolitical art.
