This seventeenth-century engraving titled *Valletta Città Nova di Malta* presents a highly detailed, bird’s-eye view of Valletta, the capital city of Malta. It was produced by the Merian publishing house, renowned for its *Topographia* series, which documented European cities through precise and aesthetic engravings. This particular image belongs to the Italian volume of the series and captures Valletta as both a military stronghold and a model of early modern urban planning. The engraving depicts the city of Valletta occupying a narrow, rocky peninsula that juts into the Mediterranean Sea. The peninsula’s natural form dictates the city’s elongated, tapering shape, which the artists have rendered with remarkable precision. Surrounding the city are steep coastal cliffs and defensive bastions that enclose it entirely, emphasizing its fortified nature.
This is a reproduction print of a historical map
