The Legendary History of The Italy Map

The Italy map in Counter-Strike is not just a battleground but a story filled with unexpected twists, inspiration, and original ideas. Created by American designer Glen Cooper, this map has secured its place in the hearts of players around the world. How did a simple idea for a shooter level turn into a true legend?

 

The Beginning: Inspiration and First Steps

Glen Cooper's love for video games started in childhood, playing on the NES and PC. He was drawn to games that allowed players to add something of their own, like creating custom tracks in Excitebike. Cooper created his first maps in games like Doom 2 and Duke Nukem. When he started playing Counter-Strike from its third beta, he immediately fell in love with the shooter for its unique features: teamwork, no respawns during rounds, and the ability to chat after death.

The idea for the Italy map came to him after watching the movie "Ronin" starring Robert De Niro. Although the film was shot in France, Glen saw an image of Italy in it and wanted to capture the feel of narrow streets and bustling markets full of danger. To create the map, he enlisted the help of his friend Jason Green, who assisted with minor textures. In just two months, they released the map in the CS beta 6.5 version.

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Italian Atmosphere and Unique Elements

The gameplay on Italy was designed to be as dynamic as possible for both sides: the main goal was to create a map where every player would work as a team. Glen believed rushing was the best strategy—both for terrorists and counter-terrorists. To achieve this, he used various elements: narrow streets, complex building structures, and numerous objects that could serve as cover.

One of the most memorable elements of the map was the chickens, which first appeared in Italy. Cooper added them to diversify the game and create a unique atmosphere: “We added chickens because I got tired of just shooting at players,” he admitted. The chicken models and the sounds they made were imported from Quake 2.

Music is also played on the CS2 map—one of Italy’s distinctive features. Cooper added opera sounds to give the shootouts a special flair. Additionally, the original map featured many paintings, including several works by Leonardo da Vinci and the famous painting “Madonna of Canon van der Paele” by Jan van Eyck.

Challenges and Changes to the Map

Despite its popularity, Italy faced balancing issues. Terrorists found it too easy to guard the hostages, as they were located close to the terrorist spawn. With each new version of the map, developers tried to improve the balance by adding new passages and changing the level structure. However, even in CS:GO, terrorists still dominate this map.

Ultimately, due to the unpopularity of hostage rescue modes, the Italy map was removed from CS:GO matchmaking in 2017, leaving it only in casual mode and deathmatch.

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The Legacy of the Map

The Italy map in CS2 became a symbol of an era and a favorite battleground for many players. It harkened back to the time when Counter-Strike 1.6 and Condition Zero ruled in clubs and home computers. Despite its disappearance from current competitive modes, memories of Italy remain alive among gamers. Every detail—from the chickens to the opera sounds—has become part of a great history.