Engraved birdseye view of Mantua, a northern Italian city surrounded by lakes. The view pictures an early Mantua before the southern lakes were drained. Several streets and neighborhoods are named throughout this view, as well as the various bridges leading to and from the city. The text at the bottom states that Mantua is the capital of a duchy, and is an important city in transalpine Lombardy. The text further suggests that the city was founded by a mythical "Manto Thobain," several thousand years before the present (perhaps about 2300 BC). The lakes are formed by the River Menzo, which has changed course several times.

The city continues to be an attractive tourist destination. The old city is well preserved, and sprawling has been limited. One former lake has been filled to create space for farmland, now that it is no longer needed for defense capacities. Mantua has been ranked the Italian city with the best quality of life by Italian sources.