Map of the Central Mediterranean

The map of the Central Mediterranean is a 15th-century portolan chart attributed to the Ancona cartographer Grazioso Benincasa, one of the leading figures in 15th-century nautical cartography. Made on parchment, it depicts the coasts from southern Italy to Greece, with Sicily, Sardinia, and the Balearic Islands highlighted, from the perspective of sailors engaged in coastal navigation. The dense network of wind lines, traced in red and green from the grid of wind roses, guided routes between the main Mediterranean ports. Lacking Ptolemaic coordinates, the chart focuses on coastal toponyms and landing places, testifying to the practical function of these nautical atlases for merchants and captains in the heart of the late Middle Ages.

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