This fascinating map entitled “La Valle Camonica – foglio di supplemento alla carta della provincia di Bergamo” created by engineer and architect Giuseppe Manzini in 1816, is one of the oldest and most valuable cartographic records dedicated entirely to the Camonica Valley. Printed in 1816, this map was created as a supplement to the larger map of the province of Bergamo produced by Giuseppe Manzini in the same year. Our copy is the rare pre-title version, which was subsequently added in the upper left corner.
Although it included technical information allowing it to be joined to the sheet dedicated to the Bergamo area, there was no obligation to purchase both. The map of the Camonica Valley could therefore circulate independently, becoming a complete and independent product, intended for both travelers and local scholars.
The map, engraved with considerable care, shows a layout typical of early 19th-century cartography: a refined use of hatching to render the complex Alpine morphology, a dense network of minor place names and road signs, and an accurate representation of the side valleys, passes, and towns. The vertical layout of the print follows the natural development of the Camuno area, from Lake Iseo to the Alpine passes towards Valtellina and Tyrol, reproducing the landscape with surprising fidelity.
Giuseppe Manzini (Bergamo, 1777–1849) was an engineer, architect, and cartographer active in Lombardy during the Napoleonic era and the Restoration. Trained in technical drawing and architecture, he soon developed a particular interest in the representation of the territory, contributing to the modernization of civil cartography in Lombardy-Veneto.
