Digital meets Culture

Lloret del Mar, 23-24-25 May 2024

Archives and Tourism: the proceedings of the seminar is available online

On the 23-24-25 May 2024 a very interesting seminar took place in Lloret del Mar organised by the Archival Service of the Municipality, in collaboration with the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Disputaciò de Girona.

The rich programme of the event was the occasion to meet with local and international speakers, and to discuss about the connections existing between archives and tourism.

A wide range of initiatives was presented, offering to the participants a lively space to explore opportunites and threaths, good practices and lessons learnt. Many subjects need still to be further studied, such as: historical tourism research to reflect on cultural and social changes in Europe, heritage digitisation to enable preservation of historical documents, travel guides, maps, and posters and their reuse in new editorial and digital products, tourism as a potential driver to be unlocked for cultural and tourism innovation, and much more debated in the Roud Tables.

Picture from the exhibition that accompanied the seminar

The catalogue of the appealing exhibition complement the proceedings, with images and stories about the evolution of tourism through the archival fonds of the Servei d’Arxiu Municipal de Lloret de Mar.

The proceedings of the seminar are now available for download.

Stay in contact! The second edition of the seminar will take place on 13, 14 and 15 May 2026.

Follow SECreTour online also on the SECreTour project’s website.

Collaboration agreement has started between the SECreTour project and Provincia di Bergamo in June 2025

New collaborations of SECreTour with Provincia di Bergamo, coordinator of THRIVE project

The SECreTour Network is growing!

The Province of Bergamo is a supra-local public body, located in northern Italy. Its territory has an area of 2,722.86 km² with more than 1 Million inhabitants and it includes 243 municipalities. As an intermediate body between the Region and the municipalities, the Province has fundamental and delegated functions and is responsible for several sectors including environment, land management, culture, tourism, sports, social policies, equal opportunities, territorial development, education and vocational training.

The Province coordinates the THRIVE project funded by Creative Europe Program.

THRIVE aims to enhance the appeal of rural areas by preserving and promoting endangered intangible cultural heritage. The project will create a territorial strategy to cultivate and retain talent in rural regions, fostering the empowerment and resilience of rural communities and bridging territorial imbalances, which are the cause of urban-rural divide.

The Province of Bergamo and its THRIVE project have a range of common aims with the SECreTour project, which will be at the basis of the envisaged future collaboration.

Follow SECreTour online also on the SECreTour project’s website.

Sala de la Caritat, Biblioteca de Catalunya and online, 19 and 20th June 2025

Pescia Paper Museum presented their work as a partner of EUreka3D project during the Segones Jornades de Patrimoni Gràfic 2025

On the occasion of the Segones Jornades de Patrimoni Gràfic 2025, EUreka3D project partner Pescia Paper Museum, which digitalized in 3D their historical paper moulds, gave a presentation to display the project and their achievements within its context and beyond.

Director of Pescia Paper Museum Massimiliano Bini presenting at Segones Jornades de Patrimoni Gràfic 2025

The Segones Jornades de Patrimoni Gràfic 2025 took place in Barcelona, hosted at the prestigious Biblioteca de Catalunya (Hospital, 56. 08001 Barcelona) on Thursday 19th and at ICGC (Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya) on Friday 20th June 2025. The event aimed to bring together professionals who work daily with this different types of phisical documentation (such as drawings, engravings, prints, posters, maps, etc.) which constitute a unique and relevant testimony to history, culture and artistic manifestations.

Download the detailed programme here<<<<.

The conference will be livestreamed on YouTube. You can find the link and more information here.

The case of cruise tourism in Nuuk, Greenland

Constructive and destructive agency, regional path development and critical junctures

A new interesting article is published by Laura James, Henrik Halkier and Heidi Vorre of Aalborg University, Denmark, the coordinator of CROCUS project, member of the SECreTour Network.

Constructive and destructive agency, regional path development and critical junctures: the case of cruise tourism in Nuuk, Greenland

The paper explores the role of human agency in regional path development looking at various types or domains of agency.

Innovative entrepreneurship, institutional entrepreneurship and place leadership may contribute to the development of new paths or to the renewal of old paths, and such path development may be destructive as well as constructive.

A framework is proposed to interprete these processes.

Path development goals according to stakeholders’ aims and type of agency

This framework is used to analyse the interplay between different types of agency through a study of cruise tourism in Nuuk, Greenland. The empirical analysis carried out by the researchers shows how a wide variety of stakeholders, including residents and non-governmental organisations, may try to influence tourism development path in different ways.

James, L., Halkier, H., & Vorre, H. (2025). Constructive and destructive agency, regional path development and critical junctures: the case of cruise tourism in Nuuk, Greenland. Regional Studies, 59(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2025.2461755

Follow SECreTour online also on the SECreTour project’s website.

Collaboration agreement has started between the SECreTour project and the Municipality of Morcote in June 2025

New collaborations of SECreTour with the Municipality of Morcote, Canton Ticino (Switzerland)

The SECreTour Network is growing!

The SECreTour Network of Common Interest is enriched by the participation of the Municipality of Morcote.

As historic monumental medieval capital of the lake of Lugano, Morcote is part of the Amphitheatre of the San Giorgio and Arbostora cultural landscape studied in the SECreTour pilot coordinated by Università della Svizzera Italiana.

Follow SECreTour online also on the SECreTour project’s website.

Collaboration agreement has started between the SECreTour project and Studio Macaco in June 2025

New collaborations of SECreTour with Studio Macaco

The SECreTour Network is growing!

Studio Macaco has joined the SECreTour Network of Common Interest.

Studio MACACO (Ludens Sagl) is a Swiss-based creative software company focused on developing interactive digital experiences for the tourism and cultural sectors.

Through the use of storytelling, gamification, and emerging technologies, they design tools that enhance local heritage and foster meaningful exploration of rural and remote territories.

Its work includes a series of mobile applications and interactive trails that transform tourism into playful, educational, and emotionally engaging journeys.

Key projects include Tesori del Ticino, Tesori delle Vette del Ceresio, and Caccia alla Macchia, all of which blend physical exploration with digital narratives.

Studio MACACO is committed to creating sustainable, inclusive, and innovative solutions that make cultural and natural heritage accessible to all. In this light, it aims to contribute to the SECreTour pilot of Monte San Giorgio.

Further information about Studio Macaco are available at its website: studiomacaco.ch

Follow SECreTour online also on the SECreTour project’s website.

Collaboration agreement has started between the SECreTour project and Omnis Vision in June 2025

New collaborations of SECreTour with Omnis Vision SA

The SECreTour Network is growing!

We are very glad to announce that Omnis Vision SA has joined the SECreTour Network of Common Interest.

Omnis Vision SA is a strategic partner for the enhancement, management, and development of real estate assets and the territory. Its expertise and commitment to innovation of built and natural heritage is much relevant for the scope of SECreTour, when it comes to look for new opportunities and new perspectives of socio-economic and territorial development.

Through the newly established collaboration, Ominis Vision will participate in the SECreTour pilot of Monte San Giorgio, contributing to discover novel ways for unlocking the potential of such a wonderful rural destination.

Further information about Omins Vision SA are available at its website: https://www.omnis.swiss/

Follow SECreTour online also on the SECreTour project’s website.

A successful conference held in Florence, hosted at the Historical Archives of the European Union, to discuss the landscape of technology and innovation in the sector of cultural heritage

Recordings of “Photography and archives: discovery, technology and innovation”

On 29 May 2025 the conference “Photography and archives: discovery, technology and innovation” was organized as an event of project EUreka3D-XR by coordinator Photoconsortium and the Historical Archives of the European Union, hosted at the beautiful premises of Villa Salviati (Florence).

[Show as slideshow]

The conference was articulated in three panels on Heritage, Technology, and Innovation, and aimed to explore the landscape of technology and innovation in the sector of cultural heritage and promote collaboration across institutions, research and private sector through the presentations of important cultural institutions, archives, universities and enterprises involved in the research in the field of new technologies, digital infrastructures and digitisation. The conference was a great opportunity for both private and public stakeholders to broaden their network even further and discuss the evolving technologies and how they impact the workflow of heritage professionals.

The event was a great success, with a peak of over 80 people attending online and around 30 attending in Firenze: many interesting discussions between the stakeholders and attendees sparked.

Recordings are available, shared by EUreka3D-XR project; the images contained in the speakers’ presentations may be covered by copyright and thus cannot be reused without permission, all rights reserved to the respective owners.

RECORDINGS

WELCOME AND PANEL 1: HERITAGE

Chair: Antonella Fresa, Vice-President of Photoconsortium

Erika Ghilardi, Director, Archivio Foto Locchi, Florence
Scott Palmer, Lecturer and Senior Coordinator for Digital Learning & Innovation, New York University Florence
Muriel Prandato, Multimedia & Audiovisual Archivist, Fondazione Alinari, Florence

PANEL 2: TECHNOLOGY

Chair: Matthias Goetzelmann, European University Institute

Costanza Caraffa, Head of the Photothek and Rafael Brundo Uriarte, Digital Research Coordinator, Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max Planck Institute
John Balean, Operations Manager, TopFoto (PDF, 6 Mb)
Juan Alonso, Audio-visual Archivist, Historical Archives of the European Union (PDF, 3 Mb)

PANEL 3: INNOVATION, AND FINAL REMARKS

Chair: Louise Arizzoli, I Tatti: Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies

David Iglésias, Head of Photography and Audiovisual Records Department, Girona City Council (PDF, 2 Mb)
Vincent Guichard, General Director, Bibracte E.P.C.C. Research (PDF, 3 Mb)
Fred Truyen, Professor, Faculty of Arts and Cultural Studies Research Group, KU Leuven (PDF, 2 Mb)
Sander Münster, Time Machine Organization (PDF, 10 Mb)

26th September 2025, Brussels and online

Reimagining cultural heritage in 3D and XR

A Hybrid Capacity Building Event in Brussels by EUreka3D-XR
26 September 2025

EUreka3D-XR is focused on transforming cultural contents such 2D or 3D into extended reality scenarios. At the same time, the European cultural heritage sector is facing the 3D digitisation and the reuse of 3D models. On 26 September 2025, the EUreka3D-XR capacity building event will explore these questions and offer a closer look at use case scenarios and possibilities of XR, as well as share practical insights and future reusable tools.

The event Reimagining cultural heritage in 3D and XR is organised by the EUreka3D-XR project, led by partner meemoo and in collaboration with Cultuurconnect. It will take place on-site (TRACK Brussels) and online, and is built up in two parts:

10h – 12h CET: hybrid session in English
13h – 15h CET: in-person session in Dutch

In the morning, the focus will be on the EUreka3D-XR project. After a general presentation, there will be a demonstration – for the first time – of the XR tools beta versions that project partners are developing, together with the XR scenarios led by project partners and created with these tools. Thus, the public will be presented with the open source digital tools that will be available for reuse at the end of the project. The morning programme will conclude with a section on the EUreka3D Data Hub.

In the afternoon, organised fully on-site in Brussels, the focus will be on the XR scenarios and experiences in Flanders: How did they start creating their scenario? What were the challenges, lessons and results? What impact did the XR experience have on their own target audience? The day will conclude by summarising results from research: guidelines, templates, and insights that participants can take away to shape their XR story.

For more information, please contact info@eureka3d.eu. Registration is required.

Event’s page: https://eureka3d.eu/reimagining-cultural-heritage/

EUreka3D-XR project is co-financed by the Digital Europe Programme of the European Union.

Collaboration agreement has started between the SECreTour project and the UNESCO Chair in June 2025

New collaborations of SECreTour with the UNESCO Chair in Anthropology of Health

The SECreTour Network is growing!

A new collaboration has started between the SECreTour project and the UNESCO Chair in Anthropology of Health: Biosphere and Healing Systems.

The UNESCO Chair at University of Genoa is dedicated to exploring the interconnections between health, culture, and the environment. Established to foster interdisciplinary research and education, the Chair focuses on how diverse healing practices and cultural perceptions of health interact with ecological systems. The UNESCO chair of La Habana, in collaboration with sister chair of Genoa, fosters expertise in promoting, designing and implementing medicinal gardens and orchards with the endemisms of World Heritage Site Monte San Giorgio, to disseminate Heritage knowledge in rural tourism

The themes addressed by the UNESCO Chair are relevant for the SECreTour action, in particular within the implementation of the pilot about Monte San Giorgio, coordinated by Università della Svizzera Italiana.

Follow SECreTour online also on the SECreTour project’s website.