The 1566 Lafréry
Map (Antoine Lafréry, 1512-1577)
This is the
definitive map from the mid-1500s, one that has often
been cut up to show individual sections of the city.
Here you see how the Spanish expanded the city. Compare
this map to the one from 1522
and you will see how the Spanish simply knocked down the
old west wall of the city (at the point marked by the
smaller red circle (approximately where Piazza Dante is
today), turning it to the west, and spread out —along
the coast as well as up the hill to San Martino and St.
Elmo (blue circle). The map shows the new road, via
Toledo (long yellow lines) as well as the square blocks
on the western side of that road. That section is still
called the Spanish Quarters. (The plural is correct.
They were individual barracks for soldiers.) The road
led down to the new residence for the Spanish viceroy
(small yellow circle). That is today the Royal Palace.
The old historic center of town is in the large yellow
circle. The large, red circle on the left
encompasses the new Spanish settlement beyond what had
always been considered "Naples". It is today the site of
the Villa Comunale along the seaside.
(Also see discussion in the entry on Domenico Fontana.)
to main index
to maps and
photos
