The integration of Extended Reality (XR) technologies is transforming the role of museums from static repositories of knowledge to interactive, experiential spaces. This shift is driven by the evolving digitalized public, characterized by heightened expectations for immersive, engaging, and personalized content consumption. Museums now employ innovative strategies, such as edutainment, to merge education with entertainment, fostering deeper emotional and cognitive connections with visitors. XR technologies, encompassing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), play a crucial role in enhancing cultural heritage interpretation, visualization, and interaction. In the contemporary scenario, many applications are revolutionizing visitor engagement in museum environments by enabling digital storytelling, gamified learning, and interactive exploration and, as a long-term result, improving knowledge retention and fostering a stronger appreciation for cultural heritage among the visiting digitalized public. Despite the transformative potential of XR, challenges persist, including accessibility issues, financial constraints, and the need for specialized staff training. Future research aims to refine XR applications by employing frameworks to optimize usability and engagement. As museums continue to embrace digital transformation, XR technologies will be instrumental in ensuring their long-term relevance, enhancing visitor satisfaction, and bridging the gap between cultural heritage preservation and contemporary digital advancements.
Extended Reality for Museums and Exhibit Design: Experiences in Didactic Activities
The paper illustrates the didactic activity of the introductory seminar Inside the Museum, held since 2021 for the master’s degree courses of the Department of Architecture and Design (DAD) at the Politecnico di Torino. The paper describes the innovative character undertaken during the seminar and how it has evolved in parallel with the digital transition that has affected education and cultural heritage. The central theme of the seminar is the relationship between digital technologies and museum institutions, which was investigated according to a multidisciplinary approach involving the disciplines of drawing and representation, together with the themes of exhibit design and museography addressed through Extended Reality as the communicative medium of the project design. The main applications used for the teaching activity were web-based tools for creating virtual, immersive, and augmented reality experiences. Video storytelling, a passive entertainment-oriented product, 360° virtual tours allowing interactive enjoyment, and HeritageMaps, used for developing interactive maps with georeferenced content, were addressed. Starting from low-cost and sustainable web-based solutions, the latest activities experimented with the customization of AR applications using Unity and Vuforia Engine tools.
Cultural Exchanges and Interactive Teaching: Mixed Reality Experiences in the ARTEST Project
Mixed Reality technologies provide innovative solutions for cultural heritage documentation and education, blending real and virtual environments to enhance user engagement and learning experiences. Within the framework of the ARTEST project, an Erasmus+ Capacity Building initiative, this study explores the potential of MR for digital documentation and interactive teaching. The research focuses on integrating advanced digital survey techniques, including photogrammetry and laser scanning, to create 3D models of cultural artifacts. These models are further enriched with interactive content through the Hevolus portal, allowing exploration via Microsoft HoloLens in a Hybrid Learning Space. The study investigates how these technologies facilitate cultural exchange between Italy and Mongolia by developing immersive educational tools. The methodological framework emphasizes the integration of STEM approaches within humanities education, fostering a bridge between technological advancements and traditional cultural studies. The outcomes highlight the effectiveness of MR in providing students with interactive learning environments that promote deeper cultural understanding. By leveraging MR applications, this study contributes to the development of sustainable digital education models, enhancing the accessibility and preservation of cultural heritage.
A VR Reality Dissemination Experience Unveiling Historical Transformations of Sant’Agata Chapel in Pisa
In recent years VR has been consistently applied for dissemination purposes for historic architectural heritage and museum experiences. Technological development is increasing the quality, interactivity, and authenticity of VR applications for cultural heritage, maximizing user satisfaction and stakeholders’ interest. Despite realism and fidelity being recognized as relevant features of an effective virtual experience, the characteristics of virtual reality experiences need to be tailored to the specific needs of the cultural experience. Consistent research on heterogeneous case studies is still needed to identify efficient workflows for the realization of heritage sites’ virtual experience. This study describes the experimentation conducted on the case study of Sant’Agata Chapel in Pisa, an octagonal chapel with a pyramidal roof that dates to the XI century. The chapel survived World War II bombings that led to the destruction of the surrounding buildings. For this reason, the chapel, originally enclosed in a cloister, today is located in the centre of a garden, creating a different perception for the observers. Traces of lost frescoes dating back to the thirteenth century emerged during restorations in the second half of the nineteenth century. The workflow includes several stages: historical analysis, digital survey, 3D modelling, and the VR experience design and set-up in Unreal Engine. The development of the virtual experience design is targeted at an effective visualisation of different temporal phases in the disruption of the frescoes and to consent the user to immersively explore the site’s spatiality in relationship with the context transformation before and after the cloister destruction.
The Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice: Towards a Digital Fruition
The Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore is a complex system of environments that over the centuries—starting from an earlier pre-existence that arose between the eighth and ninth centuries—has undergone many variations and structural additions, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Despite the high tourist attendance and the vast decorative apparatus that the church houses, its fruition lacks support materials capable of guiding the ideal visitor in discovering the church, its history, and its features, as well as obtaining information regarding the sculptural and pictorial works. The essay is focused on the creation of a digital platform capable of guiding the ideal visitor through useful information for the museum visit: an online system that allows free access, both on-site and remotely, capable of providing an interactive guided tour. The platform takes advantage of appropriate hotspots positioned along an ideal visiting path; each hotspot allows access to descriptive panels through which the works of art are classified. The guided tour is implemented through texts, images, videos, and digital models, according to the most relevant environments: information is organized in thematic graphic layouts, accessible through intuitive and immediate readability. The work carried out is aimed at the touristic promotion of cultural heritage through the creation of a virtual environment and allows the sharing of content with a wider audience, ensuring the museum enjoyment of the environments involved and supporting the visit of the place.
Integration of AI-Based Methodologies for Surveying and Virtual Reconstruction: The Case of the Chiostro and the Cappella della Pace in the Monastery of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice
The case study described below is part of a larger project entitled “RE-LIFE: accessibility and inclusiveness in the scenarios of reuse and enhancement of former monastic buildings” at the University of Padua, funded by the European Commission and still under development. The project involves the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) reconstruction, historical-architectural analysis, accessibility studies, and the use of virtual and augmented reality to highlight, through a timeline, the various construction phases and works lost over the centuries. The present article focuses on the case of Santi Giovanni e Paolo and on the Chiostro and Cappella della Pace, both of which no longer survive. The objective of the article is to delineate the historical and graphic workflow pursued to reconstruct the chapel, a hypothesis based on the analysis of precise historical-graphic sources and on the digital survey. The latter was carried out on the cloister through photogrammetry using a Fujifilm MILC camera and an Insta360 X4 8K. The focus is on the use of 360 video shooting techniques for photogrammetric survey processing and on the possibility of integrating a Gaussian Splatting survey for the development of immersive realities, such as applied games or virtual tours. The article provides a comprehensive explanation of how diverse representation techniques can be converged for a singular divulgative purpose.
Augmented Reality for Heritage Tourism Applications: an Efficient Methodology Applied to the Milan Cathedral
Augmented Reality apps for tourism storytelling are evolving, covering diverse topics and objectives. This research defines a fast and effective methodology for developing AR applications for smartphones and tablets by directly using digital survey output. The approach relies on two key concepts: first, employing acquired digital data directly to bypass laborious raw data processing and modelling; second, using a flexible AR system that requires no targets (targetless), images (image tracking), or GPS (geo-positioned AR), making it effective even in complex indoor spaces. The study tests the Immersal SDK System with a mobile mapping system (Leica Geosystem BLK2GO) to establish a digital survey reference for AR positioning. Immersal’s Visual Positioning System (VPS) matches real-time camera images with a spatial map of visual features from a mobile mapping dataset. By identifying key points in real-time images and comparing them with pre-collected data, devices can determine their position and orientation, effectively using the environment as a marker. This solution enables seamless integration of digital content with the real world. The Unity game engine is used to build and customise the AR application. The Milan Cathedral serves as the case study, with designed itineraries tailored to different tourist experiences: a “quick journey” with general cathedral information, an “artistic journey” exploring architecture and art, and a “treasure hunt”. This study highlights AR’s potential to enhance cultural education, engage tourists, and improve heritage management, demonstrating its role in enriching architectural and cultural assets.
XR in Serious Games an Application on Palazzo Barberini
This paper presents a scientifically controlled method for developing serious games focused on architectural heritage, emphasising their role in enhancing and popularising cultural assets. The study stems from work carried out during the PhD Course in History, Representation, and Restoration of Architecture, using Palazzo Barberini in Rome as a case study. By focusing on its outdoor spaces and façade, the research tested an operational workflow and addressed challenges in its implementation. Unlike other cultural assets, architecture requires a cognitive approach reflecting its experiential nature, as “architecture is like a great sculpture carved into which man penetrates and walks” [1]. Extended Reality (XR) technologies were applied to recreate this experience. The Serious Game for Palazzo Barberini integrates both interchangeable in situ and remote gameplay modes. Virtual reality enables immersion and spatial comprehension remotely, while augmented reality enhances interaction on-site. These technologies transform users from passive observers into active participants, fostering experiential learning and deeper engagement with cultural heritage. The game’s development relied on comprehensive digital surveys to ensure formal and spatial consistency with the architecture. Panoramic photographs and graphic enhancements were used to create interactive panoramas designed to spark curiosity and emotional engagement. In conclusion, combining serious games with XR proves highly effective for cultural enrichment and edutainment. This approach enhances accessibility, promotes both entertainment and education, and preserves the authenticity of cultural assets.
Digital Tools for the Fruition of the Monuments of the Nuragic Civilization
The Nuragic civilization, which flourished in Sardinia between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age (ca. 1800–800 B.C.), left an archaeological legacy of extraordinary importance, evidenced by iconic monuments such as nuraghi, tombs of giants and sacred wells. This study analyses and enhances the village of Serra Orrios, a paradigmatic example of Nuragic architecture and social organization, through an integrated methodological approach combining advanced photogrammetric survey techniques, 3D modelling and augmented reality. The project produced detailed site documentation, including an updated planimetric map, and developed an AR application to improve public enjoyment and understanding of the heritage. The multidisciplinary approach highlighted the potential of these technologies for conservation, communication, and education and outlined research perspectives, including cultural comparison, sustainability, and methodological replicability. The case of Serra Orrios thus emerges as an experimental model for archaeological heritage management and enhancement.
Urban Wunderkammer: Physical and Digital Experiences in the Historic Center of Turin
Through this contribution, the authors aim to illustrate a pathway for the knowledge, communication, and accessibility of urban heritage by utilising and applying current survey and representation tools based on AR technologies. Specifically, the area of focus is Piazza IV Marzo, located in the centre of Turin, whose original Roman layout has been modified over the centuries. Our research begins with a historical and philological study of the square, followed by the acquisition of metric data using a laser scanner. We then develop a three-dimensional reconstruction of the buildings through BIM processes, create a 1:500 scale 3D-printed model of the square, and conduct AR experience tests applied to the scaled model. Harnessing the power of augmented reality and interactive media, our prototype, Urban Wunderkammer, is an attempt to transform a “passive” informational experience into an active and exploratory one, with the potential to revolutionise the way we interact with and understand our urban heritage.