BCALL PRIN 2022D. D. N. 104 DEL 2 FEBRUARY 2022
PROJECT TITLE: "ARCHITA – ARCHaeological and ARCHitectural Integrated platform for Taras”
CODICE CUP: D53D23000880006
Budget totale: € 77.047
Polytechnic University of Bari (RdU3): project coordinator Prof. Monica Livadiotti
Research staff: Antonello Fino (RTD-A researcher); Chiamaria Spinelli (research fellow recruited by the project); Roberta di Bari (PhD student); Carmine Chiumarulo (contract researcher hired by the project); Gianluca Ranieri (contract researcher hired by the project).
Unitelma-Sapienza, Rome (RdU1): project coordinator Prof. Rita Sassu (P.I.)
Research staff: Davide Falco (research fellow recruited by the project); Giulia Vannucci (research fellow recruited by the project).
Sub-Unit: National Underwater Superintendency of Taranto, represented by archaeologist Dr Roberto Rotondo
E-Campus University (RdU2): project coordinator Prof. Riccardo Pecori (Deputy P.I.)
Research staff: Luca Liparulo (RtdA researcher recruited by the project)
Description and expected results:
The “ARCHITA – ARCHaeological and ARCHitectural Integrated platform for Taras” project aims to deepen knowledge of ancient Taras through an interdisciplinary approach encompassing archaeology, topography, architectural history and computer engineering. With the support of the National Superintendency for Underwater Cultural Heritage of Taranto (project partner), which has granted access to the archives and monuments under its jurisdiction, the project will undertake the systematic mapping, classification and analysis of the architectural remains of the ancient settlement. The data will be entered into an archaeological map based on a GIS platform. The project will therefore advance the state of the art, contributing to the reconstruction of Taras’s urban landscape in its various phases. The map and the GIS database will be developed jointly by UdR1 (Unitelma – Sapienza University of Rome) and UdR 3 (Polytechnic University of Bari). In this context, RdU2 (eCampus University) will develop an AI-ready digital platform and mobile applications designed to facilitate the analysis and dissemination of archaeological data. The mobile app will also be intended for the general public, who will be able to explore Taranto’s archaeological heritage through thematic routes and interactive itineraries. The ancient city of Taranto is not easy to define, partly because of the major transformations it underwent from the end of the nineteenth century onwards, when the rapid growth of the Borgo district based on the Conversano Master Plan led to an urban transformation that often erased traces of the past. The platform may therefore become a reference model for the effective multilevel organisation and management of data, potentially suitable for adoption by other cultural institutions.
Results achieved:
The ARCHITA project has achieved its main objectives, particularly in the areas of digitalisation, innovation, culture and tourism, as well as education and research. The research activities were structured around four thematic activities:
Activity 1. Analysis of the urban development of ancient Taranto from its foundation to the medieval period (RdU1 and RdU3): The project enhanced knowledge of Taranto’s urban development through the analysis and systematic organization of archaeological, archival, and bibliographic documentation. The archive documentation of the Superintendency was digitized and georeferenced, creating a comprehensive database and a CAD map of Taras, serving as a basis for reconstructing the urban layout in its various phases. Analysis of the archaeological contexts and architectural remains made it possible to produce maps illustrating the diachronic transformations of the settlement.
Activity 2. Collection of archaeological data and implementation of the GIS (RdU3, RdU1, RdU2): Building on the data collected during Activity 1, the project developed an advanced GIS environment designed to manage and integrate the large volume of data relating to the ancient city. The system enables the correlation of archaeological structures belonging to the same chronological phases and facilitates the automatic production of thematic and diachronic maps. The GIS also constitutes a valuable tool for heritage management and preventive archaeology, supporting more sustainable urban planning and conservation strategies.
Activity 3. Design and development of the AI-based platform and user interface applications (RdU2): UdR2 developed a mobile application that enables specialists and the public to access information through an intuitive interface, allowing them to explore Taranto’s heritage through thematic routes and interactive itineraries.
Activity 4. Testing and dissemination within the framework of public archaeology (all research units): The project also achieved significant results in the field of dissemination and public engagement. The digital tools developed were presented through a series of outreach initiatives, including public conferences, seminars open to students and the community at large, and educational activities designed to engage different types of audiences.
By combining humanities research with digital technologies and public engagement, ARCHITA thus fostered cooperation among academia, public institutions, and local communities, contributing to the protection, conservation, and enhancement of Taranto’s cultural heritage.
Dissemination and publication of the results obtained
Website: to ensure the widest possible dissemination, two different websites were created: one official website dedicated to the project as a whole (https://archita-project.it/) and another specifically dedicated to the research conducted by UdR 3 of the Polytechnic University of Bari (https://Archita2022.it)
Conferences and Lectures: Dissemination activities began with the Kick-off Meeting (Taranto, Superintendency headquarters, 20-03-2024) and concluded with the final conference entitled “A City Between Two Seas” (Bari, ArCoD Department, 20-02-2026), at which the main results of the project were presented.
Publication of the results: The scientific results will be published in the Class A, open-access, online scientific journal Thiasos (www.thiasos.eu), for which a final monograph is currently being prepared. Some preliminary results of UdR3 have already been presented in scientific articles. See:
- M. Livadiotti, G. Rocco, The Doric Temple beneath San Domenico in Taranto, in R. Belli, R. Sassu (eds.), In the Sign of Archytas. Writings in Memory of Enzo Lippolis, Thiasos Monographs 20, Rome 2023, pp. 45-78;
- C. Spinelli, R. Di Bari, Reconstructing Taranto: the archaeology of drawing between urban memories and stratified archives, in G. Fioretti (ed.), 3rd Congress on Cultural Heritage in Puglia, 7–10 October 2025, forthcoming.
