In Italy, Creating Worlds Takes Precision, Yes, and Politics

Vladimiro Valerio, an expert in the history of cartography on the architecture faculty at the University of Venice, called mapmaking a blend of science and art. “Maps aren’t faithful portraits of reality but subjective constructions,” he said. “Maps reflect the design for which they are to be used. They reflect who commissioned it.”
In sum, he said, “cartographers don’t lie, but they take a position.”