measurement of time, according to the new “European” method

The sundial in Palermo Cathedral was also intended to give the city a new, fairly simple and precise instrument for measuring time according to the “European” method. In the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, but also in many Italian states, the “Italian” method was used, in which the day was divided into 24 equal hours, counted from half an hour after sunset. This small difference, over the course of a year, accumulated considerable delays.