Palomar, a design company based in Florence, Italy, recently introduced a line of fabric-based maps called “Crumpled City,” in what seems like what Apple would do if it was charged the task of designing a traditional city map. Okay, so it’s not exactly an iPhone, but there’s something quite futuristic about the idea of a map that is waterproof, ripproof, and touristproof, allowing travelers to surreptitiously look to see where they are without unfolding an unseemly map.

Right now the crumpled maps are sold for 12 different cities, including New York, Paris, Barcelona, Tokyo and Berlin. For sale for 12 euros, you can buy the maps directly from their site here. The price for not looking like the typical tourist: priceless.

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Matt Stabile