KEY WORDS: Georeferential databases, urban tranformations, digital model, urban stratification, Rome, urban “caposaldi”. The centre of Rome is an excellent study area also because it has a technically good selection of sufficiently continuous cartographic records to allow comparison between the different iconographic sources, on the one hand starting from the classical period with the Forma Urbis and the maquette by Gismondi which represent – albeit with their undeniable approximations - a good starting point, and, on the other, the 3D digital cartography made in 2000. But real continuity belongs to the present because the kinetic and three-dimensional image seen by anyone walking the streets of Rome projects a range of different portraits of its historical past. The city of Rome is a paradigmatic example of a historical stratification that has constantly reused the same sites and physical structures and is unique insofar as its destiny as a modern capital dates back to the eighth century B.C. Three-dimensional cartography should be studied to identify specificities and details present in the restitution of the urban space these characteristics immediately prompt one to try and use the same representative exuberance to reconstruct the historical past of the city or at least of some of its more important periods, especially the changes in its orography and constructions. Digital cartography used to create three-dimensional models is therefore a way to review space - not on the basis of planimetric explorations but by creating virtual models more or less automatically generated based on the cartography itself. The use of computer science in survey and cartographic representation and the creation of regional IT systems has made it possible not only to establish interlinked georeferential databases, but above all facilitate multiple consultation and later elaboration.

If urban space is considered as a place where people interact, then bibliographical, iconographic and cartographic sources contribute to providing a diachronic reconstruction of the urban fabric, which is possible thanks to the historical representations produced over the years, which are sometimes symbolic if not metaphorical: these representations make it possible to understand the sites even if their accuracy is debatable. The enormous changes that take place in cities over the years have determined an evolution of the morphological variations in the territorial setup, in the architectural stratification of the urban structure and in the perception and use of urban space. Piranesi’s work as a designer is characterised by a highly imaginative eclecticism of style, a trait reflecting his belief in a creativeĪttitude towards the use of antique sources.Considering the physical elements of the city system as the material expression of all the evolutionary phenomena of sites, its representation can be considered as a system of general knowledge capable of coalescing heterogeneous information. These architectonic/scenographic concerns found heightened and highly personal expression in Piranesi’s series of fantastic prison interiors – the Carceri d’Invenzione – which first appeared in the 1740’s. Two aspects of Piranesi’s Venetian background were key to the enabling of this vision: his training in engineering and stone construction which helped engender an appreciation of the effects of massive masonry – in particular the poetic effect of ruins – and his training in stage design which cultivated a sensitivity to effects of light and great skill in both linear and atmospheric perspective. His Vedute however, executed from about 1748 until the end of his life transcended mere topographical accuracy and became a heroic and tragic vision to the power of Roman architecture. When Piranesi first arrived in Rome in 1740 there was an already established market for views of the city as Grand Tour souvenirs. This development in his style can be seen in the difference between first and second state impressions of his Careceri d’Invenzione. He returned to his earlier views later in his career adding more cross hatching and darkening the images in keeping with his later Vedute which are much darker. The inking and printing of Piranesi’s earlier work is much lighter than his later style, giving a ‘silvery’ feel to his etchings. Some show the early version of the main title, which was changed upon publication, see Hind 34 Il Castel dell’ Acqua Marcia and Hind 43 Veduta della Curia Ostilia

The majority are first states, before the addition of publication lines and prices. Original etching from the “Vedute di Roma”.Ī particularly rare, early collection of Piranesi’s Vedute di Roma etchings.

Giambattista piranesi campodolio