10-12/09/2024, Pavia (IT) CHARME 1st interregional meeeting
The 1st interregional meeting of CHARME “digital Cultural Heritage Activities acRoss Multiple European regions” project was held in Pavia (Italy) from 10 to 12 September 2024. The event involved the staff of the seven partners – Municipality of Pavia (Italy, lead partner), Municipality of Coimbra (Portugal), Municipality of Iasi (Romania), Grand Poitiers Urban Community (France), Municipality of Turku (Finland), University of Pavia (Italy, advisory partner) and Lviv Bureau of European Integration (Ukiaine, discovery partner) – and the nine Italian stakeholders.
On 10 September, in the morning, the official opening took place with press conference in the City Council Hall and in live streaming (https://www.youtube.com/live/nCriJbYuxio?si=MfiR7GBVmZE_Fsz_). The Mayor of Pavia welcomed all the organizations involved and started the three-day activities. The Vice-Rector for Internationalization of the University of Pavia and the Director of Culture Department of Lombardy Region (CHARME stakeholder and policy authority) underlined the importance of the cooperation activated by CHARME, ensuring the support of their organizations. All the partners intervened to introduce their organizations and cities and to present their commitment to the issue addressed by the project: the digitization of Cultural Heritage.
In the afternoon, the thematic seminar “Digital Heritage. Challenges and opportunities from knowledge to valorization” took place at the Cairoli university college, part of the EDiSU network (CHARME stakeholder). It addressed the challenging issue of knowledge and valorization of historical heritage with a multidisciplinary vision and through the perspective of the digital revolution. The seminar included interventions by the Heritage Research Unit of the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the University of Pavia and intended to address the topic through the sharing of research experiences in progress or concluded in the group's laboratories, also through some examples and case studies from Pavia, which however can, due to their methods and perspectives, find application in different contexts.
On 11 September the first study visit took place in the morning: European partners and stakeholders had the opportunity to learn from the good practice of the Basilica of San Michele Maggiore, focused on diagnostics and digital models for restoration and for understanding of construction technologies and historical phases of the Basilica (project in cooperation with the Pavia section of Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape, CHARME stakeholder).
The visit was followed by a project management meeting between the partners’ financial coordinators.
In the afternoon, all the staff moved to Visconteo Castle to continue with the scheduled learning activities. First, they were involved in a workhshop on the partners’ good practices: based on the analysis of the information mapped in the previous period, they shared a highlighting of points of possible common interest, including aspects of convergence, innovative elements and transferable experiences. This activity opened the process that will be carried forward in the following semesters to lead the partnership in defining common guidelines on the issue of digitization of Cultural Heritage, capable of supporting the improvement of regional development policy instruments.
After the workshop, the second study visit took place: the team was guided by the Director of the Civic Museums to discover the good practice project “1525-2025 Lights and shadows at Visconteo Castle, Pavia” focused on the courtyard’s recovery: planned interventions on architecture, sculptural decorations, frescoes and lapidary for a renewed visiting experience.
On 12 September the last day of activities started with the third study visit to the Castiglioni university college and its chapel. Partners and stakeholders here could learn from the third good practice focused on digital survey, documentation, diagnostic analysis that was conducted to obtain an information 3D digital model (digital twin) for the planned management and conservation of the building.
After the visit, a project management meeting was held involving the partners’ communication coordinators.
In the afternoon the project management board met to monitor the first semester activities and to plan those of the second semester, including the next in-person interregional meeting in Coimbra (Portugal) in March 2025.
The first CHARME in-person interregional meeting was a great opportunity of sharing, knowledge and learning.