A delightful small topographical map of Genoa taken from Luigi Zucoli’s famous work *Nuovissima guida dei viaggiatori in Italia* (The Very Latest Guide for Travelers in Italy), published in Milan in 1844, a work intended for cultured travelers who journeyed across the Italian Peninsula along the routes of the nineteenth-century Grand Tour.
The view adopts the classic representation that emphasizes the city’s natural topography, with the port at the center, reflecting the commercial and strategic importance of Genoa’s harbor. Along the western coast, one can recognize the Casa della Quarantena and the famous Lanterna, while the streams that crisscross the eastern urban fabric are faithfully depicted. The built-up area forms a dense, irregular grid, consistent with the reality of the medieval caruggi, sloping down from the heights toward the sea.
On the left margin is a list of “Notable Places,” marked by letters (a–l), indicating the main civil and military buildings: the Royal Palace, the Naval Arsenal, the Naval College, the Doria Palace, the Carlo Felice Theater, the Mint, the College for the Deaf and Mute, and the Carignano Bridge, among others—a catalog that faithfully reflects post-unification Savoyard Genoa in its institutional and monumental layout.
On the right margin is a list of the “Major Churches and Squares,” numbered from 1 to 10, including the Metropolitan Church of San Lorenzo, San Siro, Madonna delle Vigne, Annunziata, Sant’Ambrogio, and the main urban squares—from Acquaverde to de’ Banchi, all the way to Sarzano.
In the lower left corner is depicted “La Lanterna,” Genoa’s thousand-year-old lighthouse, portrayed with its unmistakable silhouette rising above the promontory of Capo di Faro.
In the lower right corner stands the view of the Cathedral of “S. Lorenzo,” rendered with attention to the two-tone marble cladding and the solemnity of the Romanesque-Gothic façade.
