n 1844, Antonio F. Botte, the director of the Venetian postal service, published the first map of steamship routes in the Italian peninsula. By this time, numerous steamships, all strictly paddle-wheelers but also equipped with auxiliary sails, connected the ports of the Mediterranean.
The "Carta postale ed itineraria d'Italia" was produced in Udine by lithographer Luigi Berletti, with coloured engravings by Giambattista Garlato. The map was mounted on fabric to make it easier for travellers to handle. The upper corners featured two coloured views, one depicting the city of Naples as seen from the sea and the other showing the first bridge over the Venice lagoon.
The tariffs and postal sea routes were provided in three languages: Italian, German, and French. The print was of the highest quality, exceptionally dense and rich in detail, with summary tables of regular services by sea, along rivers, and across lakes. In the central lower section, the main Mediterranean routes were summarised under the title "Movimento Generale de Paccheboti a Vapore."
The term "paccheboto," sometimes "pacchetto a vapore," derives from the French paquebot, meaning "mail ship." From the very beginning, this new maritime transport enjoyed public subsidies for carrying mail.
At that time, ships were strictly paddle-wheelers, and it was only in the second half of the 19th century that they were replaced by screw steamers. It was in Trieste, in 1829, that this new system was tested for the first time with the Civetta, launched at the San Marco shipyard of Gaspare Tonello and powered by the screw propeller invented by Josef Ressel.