The Gallery of Maps in the Vatican

When in Rome, do as Pope Gregory XIII did, and steep yourself in the early history of Italy through a series of 40 intricate, charming maps designed by Egnazio Danti in 1580 for the Vatican Palace. According to Lucio Gambi, the author of this definitive text, Danti "was assisted by a throng of painters and stuccoworkers" in completing the work. The maps, which line a mammoth 20-by-400-foot hallway, are more like bird's-eye views, with sailing ships, soldiers' tents, medieval battlements, and cypress trees dotting the hillsides. An anonymous poet, celebrating the gallery's opening, wrote, "Each region is placed under its ruling planet and occupies an entire panel which shows the cities, castles, and villages with their streets and houses huddled together. Neither are the rivers forgotten, nor the springs, steep valleys and gentle hills, the green shade of the woods, the windswept shores, and the green expanses of sea that truly seem to move...." Danti, a Dominican monk, cosmographer, and mathematician, moved from Bologna to Rome to prepare the cartoons for the 40 maps, which show not only Italian cities and provinces, but also historic battles and sieges. This book documents the gallery as a whole but also includes scores of details. With their white-capped waves, meandering streams, sailing ships, and limpid sunrises, the plates inspire hours of perusal. While the essay is too dense for children, the pictures would be fascinating to anyone with a taste for fortresses and ships at sea, whatever his or her age. --Peggy Moorman