From the archival documentation to standardised web database and 3D models: the case study of the Camaldolese Abbey in Volterra (Italy)

Siotto E., Callieri M., Pingi P., Scopigno R., Benassi L., Parri A., La Monica D., Ferrara A.

Archival documentation  Web database  Panorama images 

Our age is characterized by the ease of communication and fast and free exchange of data. The use of standards and a common approach to recollect, organize and present the documentation gives a great advantage for the knowledge and dissemination of the archaeological, artistic, historical and conservation information of Cultural Heritage. Establishing a "correct" documentation policy is the main goal that guided our initiative for the documentation, preservation and valorisation of the monumental complex of the Camaldolese Abbey in Tuscany. In this project we retrieved the paper documentation in the Historical Archives of the Tuscany Region, to study the historical and conservation data of the monumental complex. Digital technologies have been used to support storing and access to this important information, including also data to monitor the current state of its preservation. The documentation has been digitized and is accessible through a web database; this resource was designed by following the Italian National standards proposed by Central Institute for Cataloguing and Documentation (ICCD). The current state of conservation of some parts of the building has been documented by taking panoramic images or panoramas (360º images) and by the acquiring 3D digital models. In particular, panoramas are used to document the state of preservation of frescoed rooms, while geometric 3D models are produced to document the degraded areas of the church, which require a constant monitoring. Moreover, an analytical virtual reconstruction of the church was modeled to depict its status before the building's collapse. The main goals of this work are to provide a good-practice example on how to document and disseminate on the web the knowledge available on an endangered monument, following national and international standards, in order to make the knowledge widely accessible. In this way, it is possible to disseminate and enhance the old results with new analysis and interpretations of documents that can be easily shared with other researches, conservation experts and the ordinary public.

Source: CHNT 18 - International Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies, Vienna, Austria, 11-13 November 2013