A curious small map focusing on central and northern Italy, etched and retouched with a burin for the inscriptions, published by the famous printing house of Pirotta and Marengo (who were active at that time on Via Santa Radegonda). The topography is rendered in perspective using the classic “moles’ mounds” system, while the hydrography depicts the courses of the Po and its tributaries (Adda, Ticino, Oglio, Mincio, Secchia, Panaro), the great pre-Alpine lakes, and the Ligurian-Adriatic basin. In the upper right corner, within a simple linear cartouche with a double border from the famous Pirotta and Marengo printing house (operating at that time on Via Santa Radegonda), is the title: Repubblica Italiana.
The postal roads and main trade routes are traced with clear, continuous lines, punctuated by the urban hubs of post stations and cities (marked by small circles). The centrality of Milan, the capital of the Republic, stands out, from which connections radiate toward Switzerland (via the Simplon Pass and Chiavenna), Tyrol, Piedmont, and Emilia. This marked emphasis on road infrastructure perfectly reflects the Enlightenment ideology and the military and administrative needs of the Napoleonic era: mapping the territory meant, above all, possessing it, connecting it, and making it rapidly traversable for armies and goods.
The political boundaries of this short-lived state are delineated to include Lombardy, the former Venetian Veneto (up to the Adige River), the territories of Modena, Reggio, Ferrara, Bologna, and Romagna, bordering the “Parmegiano” “Toscana” and the “Genovesato”
The historical context: the short-lived Italian Republic (1802–1805)
This small map holds significant historical and documentary value due to its precise and limited chronological scope. The Italian Republic was a state entity of very short duration, existing between January 26, 1802 (when the deputies of the Cisalpine Republic, gathered in Lyon, approved the new Constitution in the presence of Napoleon Bonaparte, who became its President) and March 17, 1805, the date on which it was officially transformed into the Kingdom of Italy, with the Corsican crowned King in Milan Cathedral.
Due to this very brief period (barely three years), the number of maps bearing the official title “Italian Republic” is small and they are difficult to find on the antiquarian market. Most contemporary maps, in fact, retain the designation “Cisalpine” or quickly transition to the designation “Kingdom of Italy.”
