Sassari's Candelieri (candlesticks) enter the digital age. A €90,000 grant from the Sardinia Region has enabled the development of an Extended Reality (XR) application dedicated to the city's symbol, accessible through Meta Quest 3 headsets.
The app will make its debut on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd May, during the Monumenti Aperti event, and viewers can be used in the Enrico Costa Municipal Historical Archives and in the Town Hall, both part of the Thàmus cultural and museum network.
The app, developed by the Sassari-based startup XRIT (eXtended Reality Internet of Things), is divided into four main sections—Candelieri, History, Media, and Gamification—navigated through an intuitive interface controlled by hand gestures or a controller. Visitors will be able to interact with three-dimensional models of the Candelieri and access historical insights available in Italian and English, making it accessible to foreign tourists expected in the city for the event in early May.
The XR experience is also designed to be inclusive and accessible to users with sensory, motor, and cognitive disabilities. Meanwhile, the project's future developments include interactive gaming elements, virtual guided tours, the integration of artificial intelligence with virtual assistants, and the possibility of installing the experience in museums and permanent exhibition spaces around the city. This project is part of the Municipality's strategy for the digital enhancement of the local cultural heritage, with the goal of increasing the city's tourist appeal and strengthening Sassari's cultural identity on an international scale.
