Giovanni VERRESCHI | Antonio NOVELLINO | Davide PANTILE
(ETT s.p.a, Genova, Italy)

Keywords: tourism; ICT platform; Augmented Reality; Virtual Reality; Cultural Heritage

Abstract:
The “Exploracity” project is an innovative platform offering new services for the growth and the enhancement of Tourism flows and Cultural Heritage in Genoa. Financed by the MISE (Ministry of Economic Development), as part of Italy’s National Digital Programme, and created by ETT spa, Exporacity is the first systematic and communicative use in Italy of augmented and virtual reality for a complete multimedia tourist app.
Using innovative tools, Exploracity makes a city visit an immersive and evocative experience. Simple to manage, the use of geolocation mixed with virtual and augmented reality content means that each multimedia unit gives specific didactic content in a distinctive way and at differing levels, permitting cultural content to be enjoyed in an immersive and highly suggestive way, and encouraging in-depth learning of the history of Genoa’s most important monuments.
Utilising both outdoor and indoor positioning functions, Exploracity is the perfect tool with which to plan a personal tourist route. Visitors can “live” the city and its parks, churches and museums, taking various and unexpected routes.
Each itinerary and on-site POI around the city contains videos, pictures, a mini virtual cultural-route, games, VR and AR experiences, as well as a collection of data and historical information. Much information on the typical life of citizens and on traditional artisan crafts is included.
In the “Mediaeval Itinerary”, with its fifteen POIs, tourists can use a Cardboard viewer and watch immersive 360° video or pictures, discovering Genoa’s past. A mix of VR and AR elements show today’s city in its ancient magnificence, with the original monuments, churches, streets and squares. By listening to the narration and seeing every recreated secret corner, Genoa regains its original splendour right before visitors’ eyes.

Relevance for the conference: An innovative Cultural Heritage enhancement platform to discover the history of a city through the most advanced technologies.
Relevance for the session: With the use of the latest media channels visitors can virtually travel back in time, reliving the past of Genoa to discover and experience the history of the city
Innovation: Exploracity is articulated in Information Touch Monitors, Virtual Reality Stations, 360-degree Views of the City and a Mobile App enriched with multimedia content and Augmented Reality.
References:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=25&v=KAVyo1o8pto
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xx-kVO2-RE