Venice 1557: Sabbadino’s City Plan

Cristoforo Sabbadino’s city plan of Venice created in 1557 reveals the existence of idealized plans for the expansion of the city in the future. The drawing belongs to a series of maps produced by the the “Savi ed Esecutori alle Acque” (SEA: The Waterways Office) starting in the 16th century. Sabbadino realized three versions of the map: they can explain the role played by cartography in constructing the image of Venice worldwide. However, Sabbadino’s plan takes on an operational value: it was destined to circulate within the Office and be known by the “proti”. Later sorted and serialised until forming the main part of the SEA archives, this material was consulted repeatedly by engineers and surveyors. The government agency oversaw the hydrological welfare of the lagoon and managed all changes to the city boundaries at the intersection of land and water. In other words, this office administered and verified any expansion taking place along the banks of the city. In the hands of the “proti”, the “pianta de Venetia” became an excellent tool for checking Venice’s physical transformations.