Mer Mediterranee…de L’ile d’Elbe a Naples

Coastal chart of the northern Tyrrhenian Sea, including Italy’s west coast, Corsica, Sardinia, and Elba.

This tremendously detailed navigational chart covers a wide area along Italy’s west coast between the Bay of Naples and the island of Elba, and includes portions of Sardinia and Corsica. The latter’s most famous son, Napoleon, was exiled to Elba in 1814, but managed to escape the following year – no surprise given the island’s proximity to the Italian coastline!

Interior details emphasize regional topography – useful landmarks for navigation – notably Mt. Vesuvius. Lighthouses and navigational beacons, more practical aids to 20th century sailors, are highlighted in purple. Depth soundings are noted in meters, often accompanied by a series of letters which indicate the composition of the seafloor.

The chart was gradually updated over more than a century by France’s Depot General de la Marine. The title block first references surveys originally performed in 1846, while corrections noted in the lower left identify this example’s latest corrections dating to 1952.