The “invisible” heritage to the challenge of the valorization: the UnderwaterMuse Project

The Adriatic sea is dotted with wrecks and its coasts are scattered by a lot of underwater sites. The routes, the types of hulls and their cargos, the different types of coastal sites in some cases have been well studied, in others only the coordinates are known. The UnderwaterMuse Project focuses on some of them, in order not only to increase knowledge, but above all to make them visitable by as many people and in different ways as possible, always paying the utmost attention to their integrity. The project aims at applying on sample areas (maritime landscapes of Torre Santa Sabina, Grado, Resnik / Siculi, Venice lagoon) a methodological and technological protocol based on research / knowledge and development / communication of underwater archeological sites that are complex, multi-stratified and characterized by strong diversity. The project’s objective is therefore to transform the site into an underwater archaeological park (or eco-museum) through innovative and / or experimental methodologies and techniques in order to try to reduce the loss of important cultural heritages as well as to guarantee an economic spin-off deriving directly from the creation of a sector linked to the tourist-cultural promotion of the context of reference. An immersive virtual reality (VR) approach renders underwater sites accessible to a wider public, including people with different kinds of disabilities. Training diving guides will improve the immersive experience of underwater sites. Based on the experience gained, an innovative promotional GIS tool, the ‘UnderwaterMuse MAP’ for promoting underwater sites with accessibility standards, will be developed. The ‘UnderwaterMuse MAP’ will be promoted at transnational, national and local level, in the Adriatic and beyond. Keywords: underwater cultural heritage, in situ protection and valorization, underwater archaeological park, VR, GIS.