The Virtual Museum of the Upper Calore Valley: A Cross-typological Application for Local Cultural Heritage

Despite the term "Virtual Museum" (VM) is currently used with several meanings, two branches can be identified, not usually intersecting each other: applications (interactive or not) oriented towards a "visual database" approach, in which historical/art informations are given to the user by mean of the application dynamic; and "dramatized" or "narrative" applications, consisting in digital storytelling structures which focus their attention on emotion, sensorial involvement and physical-virtual inclusion. The Virtual Museum of the upper Calore Valley (http://osiris.itabc.cnr.it/vallecalore/ ), is an attempt to make converging these two applicative fields. Based on ATON, an open source front-end developed by CNR ITABC, this web gis application allows users to discover old stories, characters and traditions of the Avellino countryside, in the south of Italy, while navigating the territory lively and dynamically.