The underwater wonderland of ancient Puglia

The projects Puglia Seascapes - looking at Apulia from an underwater perspective – and UnderwaterMuse, Immersive Underwater Museum Experience for a wider inclusion, both coordinated by Puglia Region, aim to make a significant contribution to better understanding of the underwater cultural heritage; the study cases concern different sites in the Marine Protected Areas of Porto Cesareo and Torre Guaceto: a cargo of columns from Evia island and another cargo of amphoras scattered in the shallow waters of Torre Chianca (Porto Cesareo, Lecce) and the remains of a Late Antique cargo (V-VI century AD) found in the waters of Torre Guaceto (Brindisi). The interpretation of the archaeological and geoarchaological data about the sites, their formation process and the coastal landscape evolution, as well as the 3D models obtained through photogrammetry techniques based on SfM (Structure from Motion) and underwater 360° and 5K videos, allowed us to develope a methodological and technological protocol based on the use of a software (App), i.e. Puglia Seascapes VR. It provides suggestive scenarios through advanced 3D modeling and animation techniques and results in interactive videos shoot that reconstruct and above all narrate in an emotional way the last journey of the ship in the ancient seascape, deeply different from the current, and the formation of underwater context. Moreover, the application of immersive techniques accessible from a single VR application for wearable devices allows the large public to discover new environments and the scholars to face to a new approach for rewriting the history of ancient Italy.