On the north side of the Spianada, a short walk from Liston, one almost forgets that one is in Greece. At first, it is the allure of this huge neoclassical building from Maltese stone, built by the British High Commissioner Sir Thomas Maitland and designed by engineer Sir George Whitmore. Its construction was completed in 1824 and, throughout the course of the British Protectorate, it was the residence of the Commissioner at any time. It later served as the headquarters of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George- which gave it its name-, as the Senate seat as well as a royal palace. Then, it is the glow of the precious cargo it carries within it over the last 80 years. The Asian Art Museum, housed here since 1927, is the only in our country exclusively devoted to art and antiquities from the Far East and India, with a collection of 10,500 works, which makes it one of the most important of its kind worldwide. To the left of the palace- as one looks from Spianada- lies the Garden of the People, sprung and overlooking the Old Fortress and the island of Vido.