A VIRTUAL THEMATIC MUSEUM OF THE TERRA D'OTRANTO LIGHTHOUSES BASED ON A LOW COST METHODOLOGY

From the methodological point of view, the present study is an example of a low-cost approach to the problem of documenting and promoting archaeological and architectural heritage items. Specifically, the aim is to create a DVR (Desktop Virtual Reality) platform to enable the public to enjoy heterogeneous digital content at a distance, available both online and off-line, derived from the study of architectural characteristics and the analysis of existing documentation on the Terra d'Otranto lighthouses. The individual items under study were surveyed using Digital Photogrammetry (Photomodelling) techniques and re-created in three dimensions. All the data available (archival, bibliographical, photographic, iconographic, etc.) are connected to the three-dimensional object, which thus constitutes the informational basis of the entire platform, conceived as a 3D DataBase. The ultimate objective is to find a valid methodological framework for the creation of a virtual thematic museum, or "Lighthouse Museum", starting with the site on the island of Sant'Andrea near Gallipoli, home of a now decommissioned lighthouse, but also a site of considerable historic, archaeological and environmental importance. 1. INTRODUCTION The research (still in progress) presented here focuses on the study of lighthouses situated in the far South of Italy, in Puglia, in the ancient province of Terra d'Otranto, which included the modern-day provinces of Lecce, Brindisi and Taranto (Fig. 1). (1) The lighthouses are considered part of the industrial heritage in that they are service infrastructures linked to navigation, an indispensable nocturnal signalling system for navigators and a landmark in both maritime and aerial terms. Over the last few decades, many lighthouses, including the living quarters for the lighthouse operators and 1 The research in progress into maritime industrial archaeology is being conducted as part of the INTERADRIA Project "Eredità culturali dell'Adriatico: conoscenza, tutela e valorizzazione", PIC-Interreg III A Transfrontaliero Adriatico. The project is cofinanced by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.