Summary
Cosentia itinera is a new virtual museum that tells the story of the southern Italian city of Cosenza, from the Magna Grecia era to modern times. The virtual museum is hosted in seven rooms at the second floor of a 19th-century villa and is based on an interactive route, “a blend of storytelling and technology”, with immersive experiences through holographic projections on circular walls, touch screens, computer animations and VR visors.

Innovative VR tools and techniques
• In Room 7 visitors can enjoy nine seats equipped with Samsung Gear VR devices integrated with a smartphone in order to see bird’s eye views of the city

VR in education
• 3D objects, like for example a manuscript or a book, are projected when verses by the Byzantine historian Iordanes or the poet Giosuè Carducci are read by the narrator’s voice (all texts are available both in Italian and in English)
• Visitors can see details of the main city’s monuments (e.g. the cathedral or the castle) through touchscreens
• At the end of the route, users can wear Samsung Gear VR visors to enjoy a flight over the city based on 360° drone videos
• The concept of the institution reflects the ongoing shift from the collection-oriented museum to the visitor/user-oriented museum
• From a pedagogical point of view, the museum is based on the principles of “knowing through doing” and “recognizing by touching”