ROME CARTOGRAPHY SKETCHES
The purpose of our Cartography class in Rome was to explore different historical parts of the city and later reflect on what we had seen. Through hand sketching, we made connections between various aspects of our walks and related the different parts of the city to one another. While each walk held a certain historical significance in the past, today there are hints of this past if you pay close attention. Through careful observation, it is possible to learn more about the city on every walk.
The Via Aurelia Vetus was constructed in 241 B.C. as part of a series of roads built throughout italy to serve the needs of Roman expansion. The route crossed the Tiber River by way of the Bridge Pons Aemilius, then exited Rome from the western side through the Porta Aurelia, or Aurelian Gate. The road ran all the way up the western coast to Pisa, where it terminated. The Via Aurelia was an important military route back in the day because it linked Rome, Cosa, and Pisa.
Similar to the Via Aurelia Vetus, the Via Salaria was an Ancient Roman road. It ran from the Porta Salaria in the Aurelian walls to Castrum Truentinum on the eastern Adriatic Coast. The Via Salaria gets its name from the Latin word "salt" because it was the route by which the Sabines came to fetch salt from the marshes at the mouth of the Tiber.
The Via Delle Sette Sale runs from the Avenue Monte Oppio to the square of San Pietro in Vincoli, or St. Peter in Chains. It is part of the Monti District, and is included in the Baths of Trajan, and is named after the great tank of seven halls that Nero had built on the Domus Aurea. Two more tanks were discovered in 1760, but they kept the name seven tanks. The tanks were connected to the Aqua Julia and could hold over 8 million liters of water.
The Via Peregrinorum is one of many of the Medieval Roman routes that is partly composed of 15th-century improvements. Pope Sixtus commanded that all building projections and and street obstructions be cleared away, which led to a widening and overall improvement of the roads along the route. The Via Peregrinorum was critical in Roman history as it was the route the Pope took on his first initial walk around the city to introduce himself to the people.
The Via Recta, or today known as the Via dei Coronari, is known for its straight and direct path. It was part of the streets of Ancient Rome and was among the routes under improvement in the 15th-century. This allowed pilgrims coming from the north and entering Rome through Porta del Popolo to reach Ponte Sant'Angelo and the Vatican. It is now called Via dei Coronari because there were many shops selling devotional goods to the pilgrims, including rosaries and small crowns, hence the name "coronari."
Our final cartography route was one that we had to map out ourselves. My route started at the Pantheon, because somehow none of our walks had gone past the historic monument yet. While most of the streets taken to reach the final destination, Fontana di Monte Cavallo at the Quirinale Palace, were historic, windy streets, the were still many churches and other historic monuments along the route to take notice of.