Sector: Smart City / Tourism / Edutainment
The Historic Centre in Miniature: An Immersive Experience between Urban Studies and Tourism.
There is an ancestral fascination in viewing the world from above, as if looking at a scale model. We took this concept and elevated it to the highest level of technological power, reconstructing the entire historic centre of Modena in a miniature XR model. An experience that allows citizens and tourists to “visually possess” the city, exploring every corner from a privileged, interactive perspective.
Orienting oneself in a city of art or understanding its urban evolution is not always straightforward. Paper maps are static and standard navigation apps lack three-dimensional emotional engagement. There was a need for a tool that combined the precision of a technical survey with the magic of a playful and educational experience, capable of telling Modena’s story both to tourists seeing it for the first time and to residents wanting to rediscover it.
Through a high-precision polygonal optimisation process, we brought the heart of Modena into our XR headsets. Users do not simply look at a photograph: they can walk around the reconstructed historic centre, crouch down to see the details of the Cathedral or the historic canals (now underground) and perceive the dialogue between the great architectural volumes.
An ideal tool for tourist information points, museums or schools, where spatial understanding becomes immediate, overcoming all language or abstract barriers. Tourists gain an instant “mental map” of the city, enhancing the quality of their visit, while the local authority has an innovative tool for territorial marketing and participatory planning.
App used: HDT Miniature.