The RailtoLand Erasmus European project consortium organised an international workshop in Cagli in the Sub-Apennines in Le Marche, Italy, from 14 to 18 June 2022.
The five-day workshop, based on an interdisciplinary approach, brought together a group of international students from different universities in Spain, Italy and France to carry out field learning activities and attend lectures from experts in digital cultural heritage, railways, and urban and landscape design. It provided an opportunity to learn about the knowledge, narratives and design of heritage and landscape through virtual experiences and innovative practices.
Data acquisition and the Sub-Apennine railway experience
The first two days were devoted to data acquisition at the San Francesco Complex in Cagli and in the area surrounding Pergola station. In particular, the group had the opportunity to experience a trip into the stimulating natural and historic area of the recently reactivated Sub-Apennine railway, run by Fundazione FS from Fabriano to Pergola.
Design thinking workshop
The learning activities on digital tools provided a new way of appreciating, analysing, studying and considering the development of heritage sites and landscapes through design. This knowledge was very useful during the third day, when the activity focused on a dynamic workshop that used design thinking techniques to analyse the data acquired during the first two days and create different proposals for the future development of the areas in Cagli and Pergola.
On the third day, the group were also invited to experience a virtual trip on the Porto-Vigo railway line as part of the first usability test of the RailtoLand app, to be developed in the following months.
Closing conference
An update on recent research in this area of expertise was provided at the closing multiplier event: a conference on “European landscape and heritage in the digital age: promotion, public engagement and participatory design of cultural heritage” which was held at the well-conserved Cagli Municipal Theatre and attended by local authorities and academics, as well as international experts from UIC, University of Turin (Italy), University of Charleton (Canada), Duke University (USA) and CNRS (France), among others.
Finally, on the last day a sum-up activity took place to share the results of the proposals made by the students on the basis of the learning activities and the design thinking workshop.
For further information, please visit the RailtoLand website: https://railtoland.eu/
