La Piccionaia is the leader of a consortium of six Italian and Austrian partners, including the Municipality of Vicenza.
PLACES, THE PROJECT CO-FINANCED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION FOR SUSTAINABLE AND EXPERIENTIAL CULTURAL TOURISM IS LAUNCHING
Four pilot sites – in Vicenza, Tarvisio, Fortezza and Klagenfurt – will be the focus of technological innovation, digitalisation of cultural heritage, improved accessibility and the creation of new products with local communities for the authentic narration of the territories.
(Vicenza, 26 February 2025) La Piccionaia, as project leader, announces the launch of PLACES – Promoting Landscape, Accessibility and Culture for Experiential and Sustainable Tourism, an ambitious project co-financed by the European Union programme Interreg IV-A Italy – Austria 2021-2027. The project aims to enhance the cultural and natural heritage of the cross-border area through technological innovation, accessibility, inclusion and culture with a participatory approach, improving the tourist experience for all.
PLACES is being developed on four pilot sites in four regions: the Natural History and Archaeology Museum in Vicenza (Veneto); Forte di Fortezza (South Tyrol); Cave del Predil in Tarvisio (Friuli-Venezia Giulia); Kärnten Museum in Klagenfurt (Carinthia). For each site, the project also involves the local ecosystem in its landscape, cultural and social aspects. The aim is to transform these places into more inclusive and experiential tourist destinations, integrating digital technologies, interactive itineraries and accessible solutions for people with specific needs.
Through participatory co-design, the project promotes a new way of experiencing cultural heritage, involving local communities, tour operators and cultural institutions. Thanks to digital tools, artistic languages and immersive technologies, visitors will be able to enjoy new and inclusive experiences such as multisensory itineraries, virtual tours and interactive maps with accessible points of interest. The total budget for the project is €963,013.75, of which €887,803.44 is financed 80% by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and 20% by Italian and Austrian national funds.
Main expected results
The interventions have been designed in a differentiated and specific way for each pilot site, based on its characteristics and needs. New services will be created in the museum sites (multimedia, digital and interactive content, immersive technologies, themed itineraries, solutions for independent visits for disabled people, virtual tours with mapping of accessible Points of Interest, inclusive communication tools) through the use of new technologies and artistic languages. The project will also involve local communities in an authentic narration of the places and their active participation in the enhancement of the cultural and natural heritage as a common good. The pilot sites will also be connected to the PLACES museum circuit (which can be extended to other structures after the end of the project), allowing remote visits and access to special content, for the cross-border promotion of sustainable and accessible tourism.
In particular, the Archaeological and Natural History Museum of Vicenza will enrich its offer with new experiences, products and itineraries; it will also implement a series of innovations to improve physical, visual and digital accessibility. Thanks to the use of theatrical and artistic languages, La Piccionaia will create a participatory project with the local community, for the co-creation of a new multimedia itinerary that will ideally connect the Museum to the territory, and the design of a new sensory and interactive museum itinerary for children and families. Through on-site surveys and the mapping of accessible points of interest, the South Tyrolean cooperative independent L. will be responsible for creating a virtual tour to present the accessibility of the visit, as well as for the creation of new digital content, both informative and experiential. Thanks to the online platform PLACES, the Natural History and Archaeology Museum will also be included in a virtual museum circuit of 8 accessible museums in Italy and Austria.
The project, which will last 24 months, is part of the European strategy for sustainable and inclusive development, contributing to the economic growth of the destinations involved and improving the quality of the tourist offer through an innovative and participatory approach.
Among the main expected results:
- Development of multimedia and digital content for greater cultural accessibility
- Co-design with local communities of new products that integrate the tourist offer from an experiential perspective, created through theatrical, artistic and creative languages
- Creation of a cross-border museum circuit with the possibility of remote use
- Implementation of solutions for the autonomy of people with disabilities, with a focus on design for all
- Strengthening of cross-border cooperation for the promotion of sustainable tourism
The Partners
The PLACES project involves a broad international partnership, each with synergistic skills that are fundamental for the success of the initiative:
- La Piccionaia S.c.s.: project leader, is responsible for the co-design of creative, narrative and cultural content, as well as the development of experiential and inclusive products through participatory paths with local communities
- Municipality of Vicenza: coordinates the activities of the Naturalistic Archaeological Museum, part of the Vicenza Civic Museums circuit, and provides expertise in museum management, accessibility and enhancement of the natural and archaeological heritage
- Cooperativa Sociale Independent L. Onlus (Merano – BZ): specialised in structural and digital accessibility, contributes with inclusive ICT solutions and strategies for the autonomy of people with disabilities, coordinates the interventions at the Fortezza site.
- Consorzio di Promozione Turistica del Tarvisiano, di Sella Nevea e di Passo Pramollo (Tarvisio – UD): provides expertise in tourism promotion and local communication to encourage the growth of sustainable tourism and coordinates the interventions in the pilot site of Tarvisio.
- Landesmuseum für Kärnten (Klagenfurt, Carinthia): pilot site, contributes with its experience in the field of inclusive and accessible museums
- Kärnten Werbung (Klagenfurt, Carinthia): the Carinthian tourist promotion consortium that coordinates the territorial marketing strategies and communication activities of the project.
To further strengthen the impact and replicability of the model in other destinations, PLACES also collaborates with two associated partners: the Gleichstellungrätin der Autonomen Provinz Bozen – Südtirol (Equality Councillor of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol) and the Municipality of Tarvisio.
Thanks to cross-border cooperation, the project is developing an innovative model of cultural and sustainable tourism, destined to become a point of reference for the development of new territorial strategies oriented towards accessibility and inclusion.
The PLACES project was presented by Sara Baldinato, councillor for European planning, and Ilaria Fantin, councillor for culture, tourism and city attractiveness. Carlo Presotto, artistic director, and Gloria Marini, coordinator of European projects, represented La Piccionaia, the project coordinator.
‘Thanks to PLACES,’ said councillor Sara Baldinato, responsible for European projects, and Ilaria Fantin (culture and museums), ’Vicenza’s museums will experience a further spurt of growth. In particular, the Natural History and Archaeological Museum will be able to give itself a new look and experiment with a new way of approaching the public. This can only be beneficial, with a view to a better repositioning in the regional museum scene. Congratulations to La Piccionaia, project leader, which – together with the Municipality of Vicenza – has been able to bring together qualified and competent subjects in the field of European planning around the partnership».
Carlo Presotto, artistic director of La Piccionaia, began: “PLACES is a project that promotes the culture of accessibility and inclusion in tourism, with a particular focus on the cross-border area between Italy and Austria. The aim is to make the tourist experience more accessible and fulfilling for everyone, improving physical, sensorial, digital and cognitive accessibility in the museums and areas involved. Thanks to the use of innovative technologies and the involvement of local communities, we will be able to present these places authentically, enhancing their cultural and natural heritage as a common good. The PLACES project is part of a new vision of sustainable tourism, a model that aims to balance the needs of visitors with those of local areas and communities. This means: deseasonalisation of the tourist offer, inclusivity and accessibility, technological innovation and balanced territorial development, with positive economic, cultural and social repercussions for local communities. PLACES doesn’t just improve the sites involved, but creates a digital museum circuit, accessible remotely, which can be expanded to other structures in the future. La Piccionaia, with an internal project, has already been developing accessibility for 15 years with the ‘Silent Play’ model, an immersive journey through narrated places”.
Gloria Marini, project coordinator for La Piccionaia, explained: “The success of PLACES is based on the collaboration between public and private organisations, experts in accessibility and inclusion, and stakeholders in the tourism and cultural sector. The project partners include La Piccionaia, the Municipality of Vicenza, independentL., Kärnten Werbung, the Tarvisio Tourist Board and the Landesmuseum für Kärnten, all of whom are represented here today. PLACES is a project that looks to the future of tourism, a more inclusive, innovative and sustainable tourism, capable of improving the travel experience for all and enhancing the cultural and natural heritage in a responsible way. After being awarded the tender, we will now enter the more detailed part of the project, planning the activities to achieve the objectives, which have sustainable and accessible tourism as their main focus.”.