ALBERTINI, Francesco.

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Septem mirabilia orbis et urbis Romae et Florentinae civitatis Rare first edition of an important work in the mirabilia genre, describing the seven wonders of the ancient world, Rome, and Florence. It also references Amerigo Vespucci's voyages. This work is rare in commerce, with only two copies traced at auction in the last fifty years.Published on 7 February 1510, Septem mirabilia was issued three days after Giacomo Mazzocchi published Albertini's more common guidebook to Rome, Opusculum de mirabilis novae et veteris urbis Romae. Francesco Albertini (ca. 1469-1521), a Florentine priest, was commissioned by Cardinal Galleotto delle Rovere, nephew of Pope Julius II, to write the Opusculum as an accurate guide to Rome, replacing the 12th-century Mirabilia Romae urbis.Septem mirabilia, though shorter than the Opusculum, is wider in scope. It lists the wonders of the ancient world, including Thebes, Babylon, the pyramids of Egypt, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. The wonders of Rome follow, such as the Aqueduct of Claudius, the Baths of Diocletian, the Forum of Nerva, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, Hadrian's Tomb, and the Lateran Complex. Albertini also adds seven wonders of Christian Rome, like St Peter's Basilica. Florence is treated at the end, focusing on modern landmarks like the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower and the church of Santa Maria Novella.Albertini's Septem mirabilia includes a brief reference to Vespucci's voyages in its dedication

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