The ancient Sicilian maps kept at Palazzo Asmundo

The ancient cartography is presented as a work of art to be admired for its beauty and to be studied for the wealth of information it transmits.

Asmundo Palace dedicated a collection of ancient geographical maps,from the 16th to the 19th century, mostly concerning Sicily, to which is added a rich collection of plants from the city of Palermo.

The collection as a whole constitutes a complete cartographic nucleus for the study of Sicily.

It is possible to find important information concerning the changes of some areas over the centuries.

Each geographical map kept in Palazzo Asmundo presents, in addition to the spatial and descriptive information, some technical features that define it and determine its use.

Such features often include scale, accuracy, the projection system and the system of coordinates.

It is interesting how the evolution of the techniques of representation of the earth have evolved in the course of secular studies.

The perimeter of the trinacria was outlined very roughly, yet many important data were reported in an interesting way and constitute a valuable historical source.

As in a labyrinth of magic mirrors, Sicily changes shape in cartographic representations, however it always remains the navel of the Mediterranean. Crossroads of peoples who have traced our history.