Enhancing learning and access to Underwater Cultural Heritage through digital technologies: the case study of the “Cala Minnola” shipwreck site

The paper presents the digital technologies developed in the VISAS project and their application to the underwater archaeological site of Cala Minnola (Levanzo Island, Italy)that preserves the remains of a Roman ship. Following the basic principles defined by UNESCO for the protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage the VISAS project has led to the development of innovative digital technologies for a more engaging and educational exploitation of the submerged archaeological sites. In particular, the paper describes a virtual diving system that allows users to perform, outside of the submerged environment, a virtual exploration of the Cala Minnola shipwreck site. Moreover, an augmented diving system provides, through an underwater tablet, a geolocalized multimedia guide for the divers that visit the underwater archaeological site. Both digital technologies allow users to perform an entertaining and interdisciplinary learning experience by receiving archaeological, historical, and biological information of the specific submerged site.