LAKE COMO. On the mountain tops there are forests of chestnut trees, on the slopes vineyards and olive groves. At the foot of the mountains there are wood groves and bushes, with much game, so that there is plenty of hunting and fowling. At the bank of the lake there are manor houses and Castles, and in the Lake a variety of good fishes. Don’t you think that this is a pleasant place to live in, shaped by nature?” FRIULI “One side of it borders on the Sea, on the other side is is enclosed by mountains, providing it with the shape of a natural Amphitheater. Thus one can only reach this land by sea, or via some narrow roads winding through the mountain range.” ROME “It is very difficult to say something about this Land and about the city of Rome in the middle of it, which in former times subdued the entire World with courage and knowledge, in only a few words. Therefore, we prefer to be silent about it rather than describing it in an insufficient manner.” Quotes from text on back of map translated by Marcel van den Broecke”