Set of two maps, Calabria, Italy, 1620, 15% OFF

Giovanni Antonio Magini’s Calabria Citra map, published in 1620 under the title Olim Magna Graecia, is a remarkable cartographic representation of southern Italy during the early 17th century. Part of his broader geographic work Italia, the map showcases the northern portion of the historic region of Calabria—then known as Calabria Citra to distinguish it from Calabria Ultra to the south. This division had been inherited from the administrative organization of the Kingdom of Naples.

Executed with fine engraving techniques and a strong eye for detail, Magini’s map blends classical antiquity with early modern geography. The title Olim Magna Graecia (“Once Magna Graecia”) references the area’s ancient heritage, when Greek colonies flourished along the coasts. Magini pays homage to this classical past by integrating Latin place names and highlighting significant settlements, rivers, and coastal features known since antiquity.

Cities such as Cosenza (Cosentia), Rossano, and Paola are prominently featured, as are the region’s mountain ranges and watercourses. Decorative cartouches, heraldic emblems, and maritime illustrations—such as ships and sea monsters—embellish the map, typical of early modern European cartography. These artistic elements served both aesthetic and ideological purposes, underscoring the grandeur of the depicted territory and its historical significance.

Giovanni Antonio Magini’s Calabria Ultra map, titled olim Altera Magnae Graeciae (“formerly the other part of Magna Graecia”), was published posthumously in 1620 as part of his monumental Italia atlas project. This finely detailed map represents the southernmost portion of the Italian peninsula—modern-day Calabria—known in the early modern period as Calabria Ultra. The region was historically paired with Calabria Citra to the north, both forming part of the Kingdom of Naples.

Magini (1555–1617), a noted mathematician, astronomer, and cartographer from Bologna, began his Italia atlas project in the late 16th century, aiming to produce detailed maps of each Italian region. Although he did not live to see its completion, his son Fabio carried on the work, leading to the posthumous publication in 1620.

Magini’s Calabria Citra is more than a geographic document—it is a cultural artifact that reflects early modern Italy’s intellectual interest in its classical roots, regional identity, and territorial precision.

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