Official Launch of the Joint Pilot Action at the Archaeological Park of Sepino
07/10/2026
The ARCHAEODIGIT project (ARChaeological DIGITal Paths for an Inclusive and Sustainable Tourism) is pleased to announce the official launch of its Joint Pilot Action at the Archaeological Park of Sepino, in the Molise Region of Italy.
This initiative represents a significant milestone in the project’s implementation phase and a concrete step forward in testing and validating innovative digital and immersive solutions aimed at enhancing the accessibility, interpretation and overall visitor experience of archaeological heritage.
Developed in collaboration with the Archaeological Park of Sepino, the Pilot Action is part of the broader ARCHAEODIGIT strategy to promote more inclusive, engaging and sustainable forms of cultural tourism through digital innovation. The intervention at Saepinum explores how emerging technologies can help visitors better understand an archaeological landscape whose original appearance and historical development are not always immediately visible from the remains preserved today.
By combining archaeological research, digital reconstruction, immersive technologies and multimedia storytelling, the Pilot Action creates a new interpretative layer that allows visitors to explore the ancient Roman city from different perspectives and engage more deeply with its historical and archaeological stratification.
Objectives of the Pilot Action
The Joint Pilot Action addresses a key challenge in archaeological heritage interpretation: helping visitors visualise and understand how monuments, spaces, and landscapes may have looked and functioned in the past.
The intervention therefore aims to:
- Improve the interpretation of Saepinum’s archaeological heritage, using digital technologies to provide additional visual and contextual information alongside the remains visible on site.
- Make the historical and archaeological stratification of the site more accessible, translating complex archaeological research and documentation into engaging digital experiences suitable for different audiences.
- Create a more immersive and engaging visitor experience, allowing users to move beyond the observation of archaeological remains and explore reconstructed historical contexts through interactive and immersive technologies.
- Demonstrate the potential of digital innovation for sustainable cultural tourism, testing new approaches that can strengthen the relationship between visitors and archaeological heritage while opening up new forms of heritage communication.
An Integrated Digital and Immersive Experience
To achieve these objectives, the Sepino Pilot Action brings together several complementary digital components, combining scientific research with innovative technologies and accessible storytelling.
The first component consists of detailed 3D reconstructions of elements of the archaeological site. These digital models are based on a wide range of archaeological and historical sources, including excavation documentation, stratigraphic reports, topographical and photogrammetric surveys, historical photographs, aerial imagery, 3D scans of artefacts and structures, and comparative analysis with similar archaeological contexts. These reconstructions provide the scientific and visual basis for recreating aspects of the ancient urban landscape and helping visitors understand how the site developed over time.
The second component is an immersive Virtual Reality experience, designed to take visitors on a journey through different phases of Saepinum’s historical and archaeological development. Using VR headsets in a dedicated multimedia environment, visitors can explore reconstructed contexts and experience the transformation of the site through time. The approximately 10-minute immersive VR experience acts as a digital “time machine”, bringing together the different evolutionary phases of the site and its historical-archaeological stratification. The experience is also available in a 4K/Full HD equirectangular format, allowing it to be adapted for web, monitors and museum installations.
The third component is multimedia storytelling, which combines scientifically grounded content with accessible and engaging narratives. The aim is to help visitors connect the archaeological remains with the people, activities, and historical processes that shaped Saepinum over time, strengthening the relationship between the physical site and its associated stories.
Bringing the Past to Life Through Digital Innovation
Through the integration of 3D reconstruction, Virtual Reality and multimedia storytelling, the Joint Pilot Action at Sepino explores new ways of interpreting and communicating archaeological heritage.
Rather than replacing the experience of the archaeological site, digital technologies provide an additional layer of interpretation, helping visitors to visualise what can no longer be seen and to better understand the relationship between the site's surviving remains and its historical development.
The Pilot Action also demonstrates the potential of immersive technologies to make archaeological heritage more accessible, engaging and inclusive, while maintaining a strong connection with archaeological research and scientific evidence. By transforming complex historical and archaeological information into accessible digital experiences, the ARCHAEODIGIT Pilot Action at Sepino contributes to the development of new approaches to heritage interpretation and sustainable cultural tourism. Ultimately, the initiative seeks to help visitors go beyond simply observing the remains of Saepinum and instead visualise its past, understand its historical layers and experience the stories preserved within its archaeological landscape.
