The Villa Farnese is a gorgeous Renaissance palace in central Italy, built in the early 1500s and richly elaborated with sculptures and frescoes. One of the rooms in the villa features a map of the world filling the wall at one end, with detailed maps of the continents on the other walls, under a ceiling decorated with constellations. Standing in this room, the magnates of the villa could see the whole world, as it was known to scientists and cartographers of the day.
Looking at this space, it occurs to me that a room like this would make an excellent setting for a scene in a fantasy or historical story. Many such stories play out over long distances, and knowing how one territory or city relates to the others around it as well as to the shapes of the land can make a huge difference in understanding the stakes and possibilities in play.
In a visual medium like tv or movies, it could be very helpful to have a visual in the background while characters are discussing important movements or plans, but even in text, putting your characters in such a place could give you an opportunity to describe them looking at the map, tracing routes of travel or the borders between nations, and arguing for their plans.
Maps make everything better!
History for Writers looks at how history can be a fiction writer’s most useful tool, from worldbuilding to dialogue.
Co-Geeking 
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I loved maps as a kid. It was like having a bird’s eye view of history.
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Maps are such a great vehicle for imagination!
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This room is fantastic–not good for mobile campaigns, of course, but I’d love to see more of this kind of design in visual adaptations. Imagine if, say, the council of Elrond were set in a map room of some sort.
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