Promotion and communication of Cultural Heritage is a Gordian knot in Italian politics. Even though an increasing number of cultural projects are being undertaken in Italy, they are often confined in short-term individual initiatives without a real impact on the citizenry.

Castelmonardo (Vibo Valentia) offers the opportunity for a scientific-cultural project from the early stage of the research. The ancient village was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1783. The surviving population moved a few kilometers away and founded a new town, Filadelfia, maintaining nevertheless a strong emotional bond with the ancient settlement. Nowadays, the ruins of the ancient town of Castelmonardo still represent a very important element for the local community in terms of cultural memory and identity.

The present project, which is led by the DigiLab-Sapienza University of Rome and conducted in cooperation with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, Vienna, and the local Municipal Institution of Castelmonardo, has the goal to analyze the whole urban plan of the site, by integrating non-invasive survey technologies, like remote- sensing technics (aerial survey) and archaeological geophysical methods (GPR - Ground Penetrating Radar), with the analysis of ancient sources, historical maps and old excavations.

The possibility to explore and analyze the ancient site of Castelmonardo within an interactive virtual 3D environment, which includes 3D reconstructions of the most relevant buildings embedded in the historical landscape, is a fundamental aspect of the project. The analysis and documentation of environmental elements, like water resources, in relation to anthropic interventions plays an important role. The final output of the work will consist in multi-media presentations through storytelling technics, which represent a very suitable method for effective communication, allowing the public to perceive, understand and learn about their own cultural heritage in an immediate way.