This paper presents the results achieved for the reconstructive study of the Greek-Roman theatreof Taormina, aimed at the realization of a Computer Graphic (CG) film presented at the G7 summit (26-27 May 2017). The reconstruction is now exposed to visitors within one of the two basilicas at the entrance of the theater. The work was commissioned by the Archaeological Superintendence - Park of Naxos-Taormina and proposes the ancient structure in its original aspect in two distinct phases. The first phase dating back to the first quarter of the II century A.D. When, following a first imposed renovation, the complex expanded the receptive capacity of audience with the construction of an external ambulatory and the re-construction of the entire scaenae frons. Thesecond part dating back to III century A.D. instead, it involves changes to the stage building and the orchestra with its transformation into the arena that change the use of the building. In particular the theatre representations were substituted with gladiatorial games. Our reconstruction uses fast 3D surveys based on drone photogrammetry and close range photogrammetry, together with the potential offered by the 3D modelling environment for interpretation and study. This approach has led to some unpublished solutions. The main goal of this work, is to understand the architectural and details of the monument, in an overall vision of the original context that allows the visitors to value its element of originality.

The Graeco-Roman theatre of Catania stands in the heart of the historic centre, on the south-eastern slopes of the hill of Montevergine. The building visible today was built during the Julio-Claudian period as part of a programme that saw the rebuilding of the monument, which probably used structures and materials from the earlier Greek theatre. The work undertaken over more than fifty years, involving expropriation, demolition, excavation, and restoration, has, on the whole, made it possible to bring to light the surviving parts of the theatre, improving the comprehension of this monument, despite the fact that some sectors have been irreparably compromised.

Despite the large number of monumental tombs discovered over the years in Taranto, only a few among them are open to the public for in situ visits. Actually, in most cases the visit is precluded because the sites are placed below private buildings or urban roads. However, as often happens, they are affected, for various reasons, by another inevitable trouble: the artefacts preserved inside them until the discover, have been subsequently brought into some museums whereas the monumental structures have been restored, in most cases with provisional works, in order to prevent their collapse. The consequence of this moving, is the de-contextualization of the grave goods and the lack of valorisation of monumental archaeological contexts. An effective solution for these issues could be achieved from the use of technologies that allow a virtual enjoyment of these monuments and the virtual set-up of the grave goods in their original contexts. Based on these premises, thanks to the project CNR-IBAM "Marta Racconta. Storie Virtuali di Tesori Nascosti", co-financed by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Puglia, the National ARchaeological Museum of TAranto (MARTA) will be soon equipped with the installation of a Virtual Platform. This will make 'accessible' ancient monuments from the Greek Taras (the ancient Taranto) currently closed to visitors. In particular, three very interesting monuments have been identified in close cooperation with the Superintendent and with the direction of the Museum of Taranto. The first one is the so-called Tomb of the Festoons, that was found in Via Crispi at the beginning of the last century. At present, it is placed inside a private apartment under the ground floor of a building. The second one, called the Hypogeum of the Gorgons, was discovered some years ago in Via Otranto, but it is now placed below a road pavement. The archaeological and archaeometric studies carried out on these monuments made it possible to develop a wide path of knowledge ranging from funerary rituals to construction techniques.

This article present some results related to different case studies in which it is addressed the problem of digital restoration using digital 3D models exclusively produced by means of image-based technologies. The integrally IB approach is justify by different requirements: the first is linked to the possibility to obtain efficient 3D models complete with texture in easy way. The second is linked to the time of capture of these models and the third on the better management of the workflow due to the excellent performance with low-polygon models generated by IB technologies. Of course the same approach you can get on every type of 3D models, also obtained by laser scanning, but with more problems related to the textures and the management of large amounts of data. The full 3D approach to the problem of the restoration of archaeological finds extremely damaged, raises several points of interest, including sculpting and painting directly on surfaces, as well with the possibility of reintegration of the missing parts using other sculptural elements in similar subjects best preserved. Starting from these premises, we carried out a comparative test on different image-datasets with different ISO and different resolution, to provide a metric comparison of results, as an operational base that allows to know, in advance, the criticality metric in IB surveys.

With ancient monuments, it often happens thatfollowing their discovery components of them have to be moved,albeit temporarily, to museums in order to carry out restorationwork. In the case of funerary contexts, a consequence of this is thede-contextualization of grave goods and furnishings, making itimpossible to convey the significance of the archaeologicalmonument as a whole. An effective solution to this problem can beachieved by using technology to provide virtual experiences inwhich the grave goods, for example, are virtually restored to theiroriginal contexts.This paper presents the "Marta Racconta. Storie Virtuali diTesori Nascosti" project, co-financed by the Fondazione Cassa diRisparmio di Puglia, undertaken by CNR-IBAM (Lecce, Italy) inorder to install a virtual platform in the National ArchaeologicalMuseum of Taranto (MARTA). The project aims to make'accessible' ancient monuments from the Greek Taras (the ancientTaranto), such as the Twin Tombs Monumental Complex, theTomb of the Festoons, and the Hypogeum of the Gorgons,discovered some years ago in Via Otranto. The first two of the thesemonuments are closed to the public, while the third was filled inand is currently located below a road.From a technological point of view, a real time 3D platform forimmersive stereoscopic visiting was developed, with a navigationsystem using a 'natural interface' and commands executed withsimple hand gestures. Using this technology, visitors will be able tofollow an integrated knowledge itinerary based on heterogeneouscontent including historical and archaeological data and the resultsof archaeometric analyses. This involves spatial navigation within ahyper-realistic environment where it will be possible to interact withthe 3D structures, to query the database and to interact with thegrave goods.

In this paper we illustrate the use of cognitive metaphors for the transmission of historicaland cultural contents as an indispensable condition in the process of museum communication. For this we used the 3D computer graphics animation to introduce the subjects dealt with in the exhibition spaces dedicated to Queen Nefertari, the chapel of Maya, the tomb of Kha, the house of the Golden Bracelet and the house of Octavius Quartio. In these filmed segments, passive viewing is offset by an emotional approach that engages visitors in an information path where, despite the inactive mode of fruition, they are in some way participants, because they are emotionally involved. The film itself is conceived as a showcase of changeable, heterogeneous digital content, capable to offer a concise, preparatory overview of the finds present in the museum spaces.

The roman amphitheatre of Catania stands in a very complex and interesting area where settlement dynamics and transformations have profoundly marked its urban landscape. Over the centuries, the urban and architectural histories together with the formation of the archaeological deposits have led to the complete obliteration of the monument and restricted knowledge of its plan and architectural development. Therefore, it constitutes an interesting context in which to experiment methods and techniques for architectural representation and the three-dimensional reconstruction of the monument.

The paper describes the multidisciplinary research carried out on the Church of Santo Stefano in Soleto (Lecce, Italy) by IN-Cul.Tu.Re. Project (INnovation in CULture, TUrism and REstoration) supported by lbam-Cnr Institute of Lecce, the Politecnico of Torino "Non Destructive Diagnostic Laboratory" and the exSoprintendenza Beni Storici, Artistici ed Etnoantropologici of the region of Puglia.The latest restoration of the Church of S.Stefano, one of the most significant examples of late Gothic painting in the region of Puglia, was realized in 2012. This study aimed to increase the knowledge and the enhancement of the Church through: historical and documentary study; analysis of the past restoration projects and diagnostic tests; new non-invasive diagnostic testing; ICT. A Semi-ARplatform was developed as a tool for the Church protection, conservation and enhancement: a 3D model was exploited as a support for information about paintings iconographic analysis and techniques, virtual restoration and for the results of the latest diagnostic surveys. This platform and non-invasive diagnostic tests allow to monitor the conservation conditions and to map the degradationphenomena. The research analyzes the relationship between heresy and orthodoxy in the choice of the method and also in the (real/virtual) visit of cultural heritage. The Project, winner of the competition announcement Smart Cities and Communities and Social Innovation, was founded by Miur.

This paper illustrates some results obtained by the ITLab (Information Technologies Lab of IBAM CNR Institute) within two PON (National Operational Program) projects called: "DiCet" and "Siracusa Energia", both financed by national funds. These two projects pursue the objective of defining and producing innovative models, processes, and tools for the sustainable development of a smart territory by capitalizing on its cultural assets and environmental resources, to promote their tourism offer. From this standpoint, some procedures were developed to compile technical models for an efficient management of 3D and 2D resources, and to define best practices and methodical protocols for quality certification and process standardization, capable of fostering cross-sector dialogue. The sites were identified as a function of a supply-and-demand analysis with regard to a placement on the market of innovative models and services based on the creation of hyper-realistic digital models and virtual scenarios. Particular attention was given to those uses that permit greater visibility, protection, and conservation of cultural assets characterized by difficult access, vulnerability, seismic risk, hydro-geological risk, etc. In view of this, innovative models and tools were designed and developed for capitalizing on and exploiting cultural heritage, understood as an integrated and complex system conceived as a holistic model strongly based on the use of ICT technologies. Virtual enjoyment is understood here as a form of representing reality that accelerates and strengthens cognitive capacities, which is to say it becomes capable of generating extremely sensitive, "virtuous virtual" learning processes based on metaphors of the real world, and thus easy to use and understand. Operationally, our working group has made some Augmented Reality solutions available; these enable the interactive display - directly in situ and especially on mobile devices - of archaeological monuments integrated within the urban fabric. A simple solution allows the user to display an interactive 3D reconstruction directly on the real site, using the latest-generation gyroscope function. In addition to this, certain inaccessible monuments of the cities of Lecce and Siracusa have been virtualized, chiefly using image-based technologies and ultra-realistic laser scanning, to allow them to be visited remotely both via smartphone and on large virtual theatres.

Lo studio ricostruttivo di un monumento antico risente fortemente di lacune informative, errata trascrizione delle fonti, errata traduzione o peggio ancora, di interpretazioni soggettive che possono compromettere drasticamente il risultato finale, portando a ricostruzioni anche notevolmente diverse tra di loro. Questo lavoro vuole presentare i risultati di uno studio ricostruttivo condotto filologicamente su alcuni monumenti di Siracusa in età greca, cercando di evidenziare il contributo specifico dell'archeologia virtuale nei processi interpretativi, al fine di proporre una presentazione efficace rivolta ad un target specifico di turisti. Seguendo questo approccio sono stati ricostruiti il Tempio di Apollo, il complesso monumentale di piazza Duomo ed il Teatro greco, cercando di fornire output di visualizzazione che fossero adeguati ad una consultazione da smartphone e coerenti alle finalità generali del progetto "PON Energia Smart City". Questo progetto prevede un approccio "smart" alla visita di Siracusa, privilegiando principalmente logiche di fruizione efficiente on-site grazie all'adozione di tecnologie basate sulla Realtà Aumentata, la visione dei monumenti da punti inusuali e la visita virtuale multimodale dei punti di interesse. Emerge da questo studio la nuova fisionomia di quei monumenti che, per motivi diversi, sono stati rappresentati negli anni in forme e modi del tutto differenti, tali da rendere a volte irriconoscibili le diverse ricostruzioni dello stesso oggetto. Grazie alle tecnologie di restituzione 3D basate sull'immagine è stato possibile integrare le parti mancanti di alcuni elementi architettonici e scultorei che, ricollocati virtualmente nella posizione originaria, permettono una lettura dinamica che combina l'aspetto reale con quello virtuale.

The pier of San Cataldo (Le), located along the Adriatic coast about 10 Km from the ancient city of Lupiae, is the best preserved port structure of the Roman Age in Apulia. An initial survey, conducted between 2004 and 2007 by the Laboratory of Topography and Photogrammetry of University of Salento, allowed a direct analysis of the remains and the elaboration of a detailed survey of the visible portion on the mainland. Since 2013, the structure has been the subject of an excavation campaign: a further portion of the pier about 20 m longer was discovered at the end on the mainland, and, the underwater remains were revealed for a linear length of about 70 m. The use of aerial photography was very helpful for archieving the expected result of the exhaustive and complete research: the creation of a photogrammetric survey and the realization of a 3D Image-Based model for a through understanding of the monument.

The fast evolution of digital technologies and techniques of data recording have had a great impact on archaeological research. The first effect of this revolution was an increased number of strongly technologically oriented projects and applications. Among all available solutions, the use of 3D models is particularly relevant for the reconstruction of sites and monuments poorly preserved, often destroyed by natural causes or human action. These digital replicas are, at the same time, a virtual environment that can be used as a tool for the interpretative hypotheses of archaeologists and an effective medium for a visual description of the cultural heritage as it crosses linguistic barriers. In this paper, methodology, aims and outcomes of a virtual reconstruction of the ancient harbour at St. Cataldo (Lecce, south Italy) carried out by Portus Lupiae Project of the University of Salento, are offered as case study for a virtual reconstruction of a long maritime activity. The use of 3D technologies for teaching and research as well as the post-processing and implementation of data generate a new digital workflow for sharing local culture.

This work originated from a simple question: is it possible to reconstruct a destroyed architectural decorative element starting from documents that describe its details, shape and constitutive materials? An important limitation in the past was the lack of technologies and materials that could replicate an object like this in detail. Only a few years ago technology was not yet able to ensure accurate reconstruction characterized by an adequate formal aesthetic level both in terms of materials and finishes. Nowadays, this gap has been filled thanks to the development of Computer Numerical Control machines (CNC) in production processes. In this contribution, we present part of the restoration of Villino Florio in Palermo, built by the architect Ernesto Basile on behalf of the Florio family between 1899 and 1902 and partially destroyed by a fire in 1962: it is one of Italy's first architectural works in the Art Nouveau style,and is considered a masterwork within the European panorama. The restoration, directed by the Soprintendenza BB.CC.AA. di Palermo, also involved the monumental staircase, with a complex wooden floral pattern ("ramage") used to decorate the ceiling. Starting from the relief of the environment and from the old photographic documents, a 3D model of the ramage was retrieved. This formed the basis of information necessary for the subsequent reproduction of the subject with CNC machines on oak modules, assembled and finished just as they appeared in the photographs before the fire. A numerical approach made it possible to control the entire process by adopting structural solutions to avoid overloading the ceiling with excessive weight.

The paper illustrates the results of the research carried out by PON In-Cul.Tu.Re. Project (INnovation in CULture, TUrism and REstoration) on the church of Santo Stefano in Soleto (Lecce, Italy). A multidisciplinary study has been carried out in order to increase the knowledge of the church, through non-invasive diagnostic tests, and to monitor the state of conservation of the building. An Augmented Reality virtual tour has been created through the use of Information and Communications Technologies in order to enhance the church knowledge and make it more accessible to the public.

In the present project for the setting of the new Museo Egizio of Turin the "cultural message" has been charged to make a few specific 3D computer graphic (CG) movies, and aims to introduce the topics dealt with the rooms dedicated to queen Nefertari, the chapel of the painter Maia and the tomb of Kha, respectively. In these movies, the passivity of viewing is counteracted with an emotional approach that involves the visitor within an informative path where, despite of the inactive kind of interaction, the viewer is somehow involved in the events because he or she is emotionally invested in them. Thanks to this passive and "self-explaining" approach, the visitor will be enabled to understand the relations between different objects, some of which are not directly visible. Moreover, the visitor will be able to virtually insert the tombs within their original context and above all will have the possibility to visit them as they appeared at the moment of their discovery. This has been made possible thanks the use of integrated technologies of representation, able to enhance the virtualization process to a verisimilar level allowing a hyper-realistic and "participative" vision. The high levelof realism of the virtual reconstruction, the visual effects and the cinematographic representation, with added emotions to the scientific contents, positively contribute to the "dreamlike displacement" of the visitor between the real and the virtual dimensions.

This paper demonstrates how low cost 3D visualization techniques can be easily used for the transmission of historical and cultural content in museum communication strategy. Specifically, we used computer 3D animation graphics to present information about Queen Nefertari, the Maya chapel and the tomb of Kha in the specific exhibition in the Egyptian Museum of Turin. Movie documentaries support the thematic itineraries of the rooms and offer a virtual trip to the places where the goods displayed were found. The same approach was used for the virtual reconstruction of two Pompeian contexts: the House of the Golden Bracelet and the House of Octavius Quartio. Our research allowed us to create an accurate representation of gardens, statues, architectural spaces, and pools with fountains and frescoed rooms, all virtually reproduced in their original context, using communication methods that combine technology with a synthetic and emotional approach. Techniques of close range photogrammetry made it possible to conduct a 3D survey of sixteen statues and other architectural elements; lost artefacts were reconstructed and areas destroyed by the eruption of 79 AD were evoked. The eruption was partially represented, with fluid dynamic simulations and computer graphics effects in order to transmit accurate scientific information in a simple and immediate language developed by lengthy technical experiments. The synthesis imposed by the short duration of the movie required matching all this information with a self-explanatory approach, which allows the visitor to understand the characteristics of the archaeological goods displayed in the exhibition in a general view that repeats colours, sounds and suggestions of the environments destroyed two thousand years ago.

This contribution concerns, in particular, the study of the two most important monuments of ancient Roman Lupiae: the amphitheater and the theater, whose remains, now incorporated in the modern urban fabric, can still be seen and visited only partially. Despite the evidence of the monumental ruins still visible, there is the impossibility for the visitor to perceive their actual size, both in plan and elevation. At the moment there are no information boards and didactic aids to understand the complete aspect of the two monuments how they could appear in ancient. The realization of accurate reconstructive proposals starting from the laser surveys, as well as the application of technologies that utilize Image- Based algorithms SfM (Structure from Motion), have been aimed at the realization of different outputs to facilitate the visit in situ of the two monuments, with different ways of reading. Applications of semi-AR in addition with stereoscopic narratives allow to understand the characteristics of architectural-construction not clearly understood, but rather to make readable reconstructions both within their original context, both superimposed over modern city. An approach useful to provide a sense of the scale of buildings. In this process of study, the contribution of 3D modeling software it is not confined to the pure generation and manipulation of polygons in the space, but it is crucial to facilitate the processes of interpretation.

This paper describes a complete path of research, which, starting from analysis and restitution 3D, gets to the virtual exploration of Hypogeum Palmieri in Lecce, a monument of Messapian age (4th century BC) currently not visible by tourists, as it is located in the garden of a private home. This project is developed under the DICET, an Italian National Operative Program, that aims to define and produce innovative models, processes, and tools for the sustainable development of a smart territory by capitalizing on its cultural and environmental resources, and marketing their touristic offerings. The instrumental survey of the Palmieri hypogeum was executed using two different methods, laser scanner and digital photogrammetry, in order to get a high metric control of the monument and high-resolution textures for the sculpted friezes. The two different survey methods allowed a perfect porting on different outputs: the 3D real time visit on the web and virtual visit on portable devices. A stereoscopic animation, installed at the museum MUST (Historic Museum of Lecce) Lecce, provides an easy diffusion of the cultural message. The richness of the textures and the resolution of the models has allowed the study of the monument from a morphological and structural point of view. The virtual reconstruction contributes to read an unpublished part of monumental tombs in Messapian age. Thanks to a cinematic approach with a great scientific rigor, the historical competence of an ordinary visitor is now largely formed on information coming from these media, thus creating a great increase in the demand for products with a high technological content and popularising historical re-evocations and reconstructions of the past.

The ignorance or the mis-knowledge of the archaeological background of a modern city can affect its economy and cultural growth, limiting attractivity and spreading erroneous or distorted messages over media. The case of Syracuse (Sicily, Italy) is emblematic. Founded by the Corinthians in 733 BC, birthplace of poets and thinkers as Epicharmus and Archimedes, visited by many prominent figures of Greek culture as Pindar, Aeschylus and Plato, Syracuse over centuries became one of the most beautiful, influential and wealthy among the Greek cities of the Mediterranean basin, as the majestic temples testified. Nonetheless, regardless the historical background and the imposing visible remains of that past emerging everywhere in the actual urban area, Syracuse, since 2005 World Heritage site, has never played the role of quintessential archetype of Greek city both in the scientific literature and the mainstream. Against this scenario a proper action of historical revisionism over all the media should be undertake for restoring the neglected heritage of ancient Syracuse. A starting point is represented by a virtual archaeology project, undertook by a team of scholars of IBAM-CNR and Arcadia University-TCGS, aimed to the overall digital reconstruction of Ortigia, the core district of the Greek Syracuse, and to the production of a 3D documentary entitled `Siracusa 3D reborn', that represents a pivotal advance in the knowledge of the Greek background of the city in terms of communication. This paper aims to present the frame of open issues related to knowledge, local perception, presentation to public and interpretation of the Greek heritage of Syracuse and to explain how the `Siracusa 3D reborn' can give a significant contribution to start up new developmental policies.

One of the main activities of MAIER - Italian Archaeological Mission at Hierapolis - has been the development of a research line aimed at the virtual restoration and the three-dimensional restitution of ancient buildings in the roman city of Hierapolis of Phrygia, in Turkey. The project, named "Virtual Hierapolis," has gradually articulated in the last three seasons of excavation (years 2007-2009) and developed from early experiences of Virtual Reality conducted on the same site during previous years. The research, coordinated by the Director of the italian mission, prof. F. D'Andria, and conducted within the Information Technologies Lab (ITLab) of the IBAM-CNR in Lecce, involves heterogeneous research units engaged in field work, restoration and interpretation of data.

The use of cognitive metaphors for the transmission of historical and cultural content is now an indispensable condition in the process of revamping the forms of museum communication. In this project for setting up the new Museo Egizio in Turin, the cultural message has been entrusted to three specific filmed segments in 3D computer graphics, aimed at introducing the subjects dealt with in the rooms dedicated to queen Nefertari, the chapel of the painter Maya, and the tomb of Kha. These are archaeological settings of extraordinary importance for studying and learning about the art and culture of ancient Egypt. In these filmed segments, passive viewing is offset by an emotional approach that engages visitors in an information path where, despite the inactive mode of fruition, they are in some way participants, because they are emotionally involved. The film itself is conceived as a showcase of changeable, heterogeneous digital content, capable of offering a concise, preparatory overview of the finds present in the museum spaces. This passive and "self-explanatory" approach will allow the visitor to understand the relationships between various objects - some not directly visible - like the mummy of Kha and of his consort Merit; to reconstruct the tombs virtually in their original context; but above all, thanks to the techniques of virtual archaeology, to visit these settings as they appeared at the moment they were unearthed. All this was made possible thanks to the use of integrated technologies for rendering and representation, capable of bringing virtualization to a level of verisimilitude that can foster a hyper-realistic "participatory" vision. The high degree of realism of the virtual reconstructions, the visual effects, and the techniques of cinematographic representation add emotion to the scientific content, making a positive contribution towards the visitors "losing themselves" between the real and the virtual dimension.