The Roman Shipwreck Grado 2 and the Underwater Project. Challenges for the Enhancement of Underwater Cultural Heritage

The activities in Friuli Venezia Giulia of the UnderwaterMuse project, funded by the UE cooperation programme Interreg Italy – Croatia, focused on the wreck of a Roman merchantship known as Grado 2 (3rd century BC), which lies 7 miles off the coast of Grado and 19 m deep. The intervention, directed by the Superintendency, was carried out between August and September 2021 by ERPAC, with the scientific collaboration of Ca’ Foscari University (Department of Humanities), University of Salento (Department of Cultural Heritage) and University of Udine (Department of Humanities and Cultural Heritage). The pilot project achieved the in situ enhancement of the cargo of amphorae of the wreck, in continuity with the previous interventions implemented between 2012 and 2015 by the Superintendency itself. The containers, most likely intended for storing wine, date back to the second half of the third century BC: it is the oldest load of amphorae in the north-central Adriatic, prior to the foundation of the colony of Aquileia (181 BC). The pilot action made it possible to highlight the entire load, document it accurately, reposition the existing grids and add others, identical and to completely cover it, thus ensuring the protection and accessibility for underwater tourists. Excavation trenches were realized, verifying the deposit consistency and the lack of the hull’s wooden remains. The realization of the 3D model through the photogrammetric survey also allows for those who cannot or do not want to dive themselves to enjoy the site remotely, thanks to an application that perfectly simulates a virtual diving on the site, available in the museums involved in the project. The following step is and will be the development of good practices of “participatory management”, to ensure that div- ing centers, diving clubs and other regional realities can assist the protection bodies, as already happens in neighboring Croatia, in the enhancement of the site, through underwater guided tours, with modalities and protocols always developed within the framework of UnderwaterMuse.