From 25 to 27 June 2025, ETT will take part in the XR-Metaverse Conference in Maastricht, an international event promoted by the International Association of Immersive Technology Innovation (IAITI), now in its tenth edition.
This year’s theme, “Bridging between realities: transformative, inclusive and sustainable XR”, brings together researchers, innovators and professionals to explore the impact of immersive technologies on culture, society and transformative processes.
ETT will contribute to the programme with two papers showcasing advanced virtual reality applications in the context of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, through two museum-based projects.
The first, “FS: Preserving Railway Heritage Through Immersive Experiences: The Pietrarsa Museum Approach”—nominated for the Best Industry Paper Award—will be presented by Adele Magnelli and Aurelio Destile of ETT, along with Sabato Gargiulo of the FS Italiane Foundation. The paper describes the experiential approach adopted at the National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa, where XR technology is used to enhance railway heritage through immersive and interactive storytelling. The experience combines narrative direction, cutting-edge audiovisual techniques, and multisensory environments to offer a new way of exploring Italy’s industrial memory.
The second paper, “When the ‘Supreme Poet’ Guides the Virtual Journey to the Destination. VR Experiences at the Dante House Museum of Florence (Italy)”, is authored by Alessandro Cavallaro (ETT), in collaboration with Mariapina Trunfio and Cecilia Pasquinelli, Associate Professor at the University of Naples Parthenope. The paper explores how virtual reality connects the museum visit to the construction of the destination’s tourist image, through an immersive journey into Dante Alighieri’s Florence. The VR experience at the Dante House Museum allows visitors to explore the poet’s symbolic places through an emotionally rich, historically grounded narrative. With 360° footage, spatial audio and a carefully crafted storytelling structure, the visit becomes a journey that redefines the relationship between heritage, cultural identity and the urban imagination.