Redrawing the Nineteenth Century Panorama of Milan to Learn the Cultural Heritage

Abstract

The analysis of three case studies, Galvano Fiamma “Mappa di Milano” (XIV century), Leone Zucoli “Nuovo panorama geometrico-orografico-pittoresco di Milano” (1844) and “Panorama orografico e pittoresco della città e contorni di Milano, preso dalla sommità della cattedrale” (1867), has given the opportunity to use historical 360-degree charts as active tools to understand and to imagine the historical cultural landscape of Milan. The redrawing of the 1867 engraving has been made by overlapping the visible landmarks depicted in the original print on a high-resolution panoramic view. The position of the elements which are no longer visible has been instead deduced with the orientation with the Alpine peaks, the proximity to other buildings and the analysis of both historical and current maps. Reading and redrawing historical images are considered as immersive experiences and they have proved to be interesting tools for the education to both material and immaterial cultural heritage because they have given the opportunity to visualize and compare the historical and the current landscape.