Corografia della Provincia di Verona

This elegant “Corografia della Provincia di Verona,” published in 1880 by Premiata Litografia Penuti, is an excellent example of late-19th-century administrative and territorial cartography, a period when geometric precision began to merge with high-quality editorial aesthetics. The map stands out for its highly striking orographic representation, where the Monte Baldo massif and the Lessinia plateau are rendered through dense, meticulous shading that lends a three-dimensional quality to the relief, allowing the side valleys and the course of the ridges to be distinguished. From a hydrographic perspective, the Adige River and the Lake Garda basin are delineated with extreme clarity.
In the lower left corner, the legend explains the symbols indicating settlements, hierarchically distinguishing between district capitals, municipal capitals, and hamlets, while simultaneously offering a technological snapshot of the era by accurately classifying the road network. In fact, specific symbols are used for railways—a symbol of post-unification modernization—alongside national, provincial, and municipal roads, down to the footpaths and local trails. This explanatory apparatus transforms the map from a simple graphic representation into a genuine tool for the socio-economic analysis of the Verona region.
The work was designed and printed at the historic location at Via Fratta 6 in Verona, where Litografia Penuti operated as one of the city’s most renowned graphic arts workshops. The title “Premiata,” which appears proudly in the upper cartouche alongside a fine sixteen-pointed compass rose, attests to the awards the company received for the quality of its lithographic work, characterized by a sharpness of line that remains legible even in the finest details of the place names.