Culture and technology join forces for the future of Italy's artistic heritage thanks to an innovative project at the Monumental Complex of Santa Croce in Florence. The historic site, admired by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, is enriching the visitor experience with new digital Extended Reality (XR) solutions, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the cultural heritage in an innovative way.
Born from the collaboration between TIM Enterprise and Opera di Santa Croce, with the support of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Live Reply, the project aims to promote new forms of cultural heritage management and enhancement. The majestic Franciscan Basilica, which houses the tombs of great historical figures such as Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, now offers an interactive visit mode that incorporates movement and dynamism.
Visitors can take advantage of 5G millimetre-wave smartphones, powered by Qualcomm Technologies and equipped with an augmented reality application developed by Live Reply. This technology allows visitors to explore the works of art and historical figures of Santa Croce through immersive images and videos, increasing engagement and enhancing the cultural offer.
The initiative represents the first stage of a larger project, which through Extended Reality will allow for a better understanding of the richness of Santa Croce's heritage. In the coming months, these technologies will become an integral part of the visitor support tools, making the monumental complex more accessible and attractive to a wider and more diverse public.
To realise the project, the experts of the Opera di Santa Croce and the highly specialised staff of the technical partners have worked in total synergy, to enhance the dual spiritual and secular identity of the monumental complex, through the development of two thematic routes dedicated to Franciscanism and the Grandees of Santa Croce.
Together, they identified the most significant thematic routes and focuses to be explored in Augmented Reality. Subsequently, Live Reply realised the multimedia contents (images and immersive videos), managing to merge historical fidelity and advanced technology into a unique digital experience, ensuring that the digital storytelling respected and enhanced the historical and artistic context of Santa Croce.
To find out more about the project, read the full press release here.
Opera of Santa Croce
Owned by the Fondo Edifici di Culto del Ministero dell'Interno and the Municipality of Florence, the monumental complex of Santa Croce is managed by the Opera di Santa Croce, which has been responsible for the protection and enhancement of this place since the 14th century, in agreement with the owners and the Community of Friars Minor Conventual. The immense artistic heritage and the civil value of the monuments and memorials kept in Santa Croce require an important conservation activity that the Opera, one of the oldest fabrications in Italy and today a non-profit lay organisation, carries out without public contributions, thanks to funds collected through visits and private donations. All the measures are carried out under the supervision of the competent Superintendencies, following a regular schedule, and concern both the basilica and the adjacent museum areas and cloisters.
TIM Enterprise
TIM Enterprise is TIM's business unit offering companies and public administrations innovative, sustainable and secure all-round digital solutions. It transforms Connectivity, Cloud, Cybersecurity and IoT technology solutions into effective and reliable services and solutions. Through Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics, it is able to simplify the complexity of operational processes and open up new growth opportunities for its customers, providing the necessary space for data management and more time to focus on business objectives. Its 16 proprietary Data Centres, powered 100% by energy from renewable sources, are distributed throughout Italy and guarantee the highest international security standards.
Live Reply
Live Reply is the Reply Group company specialising in digital solutions and services enabled by telecommunication and media technologies. Live Reply provides end-to-end solutions for leading telecommunications and media companies, as well as Tier 1 operators in the financial services, automotive and consumer goods sectors. Live Reply's core competences range from digital services implementation, mobile and front-end development, to IoT enabled solutions, from multimedia asset management to mobile commerce and engagement.