What immediately strikes the viewer about the Urbano Monte map is its sheer physical presence. Monte originally intended the work to be printed and pasted onto a wooden panel, creating a massive surface roughly 10 feet (3 meters) in diameter. It was designed to be viewed on a table, physically walked around, or perhaps mounted on a wall as the ultimate conversation piece for a wealthy patron.
Looking at the PDF today is an exercise in time travel. The geography is a fascinating blend of cutting-edge Renaissance science and lingering medieval myth. urbano monte map pdf