Augmented Reality for the Valorization and Communication of Ruined Architecture

Abstract

This paper is focused on the valorization and the communication about the Mother church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in the Ancient Misterbianco (Catania), one of the rare surviving vestiges of the eruption of Mount Etna in 1669 and the earthquake in Val di Noto in 1693. The project, starting from a 3D digital surveys carried out through reality-based techniques, uses an Augmented Reality approach to propose a virtual re-positioning of some significant elements of the church, removed during the eruption. This study required a deep architectural study and an archival documents research to exactly identify the original location of the re-positioned artworks. Then, a 3D reconstruction carried out to get accurate 3D models of them and Augmented Reality application allows the visitors to experience the current church environment enriched with these original artefacts, in order to achieve a more powerful learning/visiting experience.