The Nova Topografia di Roma by Nolli is, undoubtedly, one of the most remarkable maps about Rome ever made. The large-scale map was designed by Giovanni Battista Nolli, an Italian engineer and architect, in 1748, in collaboration with Giovanni Battista Piranesi, and dedicated to Pope Benedict XIV. The remarkable original size, 176 x 208 cm, was achieved by the juxtaposition of 12 sheets, offering a representation of the city, with vivid detail on its streets, churches and other monuments, including more than 300 churches’ floor plans. Additionally, the map featured an index of the most remarkable buildings of Rome, “Delle Fabbriche più ragguardevoli contenute nella Pianta”. The map quickly became an urban representation model due to its topographical accuracy and planimetric richness. Nolli’s Rome map is still a significant reference to the cartographic production. Number of pieces: 540 Dimensions: 35 x 50 cm Box dimensions: 8 x 8 x 28 cm

This high quality puzzle reproduce the plan drawn in 1859 by the city planner Ildefons Cerdà (1815-1876) for the improvement and enlargement of Barcelona. Until the XIX century the growing city was hemmed in by the ancient walls with overcrowded housing and health problems. The city density was, at the time, one of the highest in Europe. Today is still clearly visible the focus that Cerdá given to create the main infrastructure in order to design a wellbeing city whit a large and regular road network which could be at the base of virtually endless territorial development. The “chamfered corners”, that are typical Barcelona marks, allowed the city growing during more than a century without changing it’s main character. Number of pieces: 540 Dimensions: 35 x 50 cm Box dimensions: 8 x 8 x 28 cm

The General Expansion Plan (Algemeen Uitbreidingsplan, or AUP) is an urban plan for the Dutch city of Amsterdam drawn up in 1934 by the architect Cornelis van Eesteren. Based on the previous plan, the Zuid Plan of 1915, by Hendrik Petrus Berlage, the AUP regulated the expansion of the city due to the strong population growth that had occurred since the end of the 19th century. Following a defined “survey before plan” strategy, Van Eesteren based the design process on empirical research founded on demographic and economic statistics, but also on the built heritage, industrial development, and on the city traffic. Minimal urban units were defined, and housing, the most important element, was articulated with public spaces, commercial facilities and a transport network, following the functionalist principle of dedicating each space to a specific function: living, working and leisure. These units were grouped together in districts that shared larger-scale services such as large parks and public facilities. Number of pieces: 540 Dimensions: 35 x 50 cm Box dimensions: 8 x 8 x 28cm