It is unique, it is fragile, but it is open to all: Virtual 3d enhancement of the archaeological collections of the S. Mark Square, Venice

Saint Mark´s Square, the heart of Venice, is undoubtedly one of the most visited places in the world. The city welcomes more than 20 million tourists yearly, with intense pressure on the Venetian heritage collections. Within the EU-Inter-regional Project ´Shared Culture´, the Veneto Region has promoted 3-D enhancement of the entire collections of the archaeological museums of St. Mark´s Square. Through inexpensive 3-D technologies the project has captured digital representations of the heritage artefacts, transforming them into 3-D virtual objects (VO). The digital copies will be used for broad public access, preservation, restoration and scholarly study. The project has been characterized by a high cost-benefit ratio. Furthermore, the 3-D VO collection will allow the recreation of the original location of the classical sculptures in the Tribuna Grimani and the Statuario Pubblico della Serenissima. Virtual visitors will have the opportunity of visiting the collections in their historic displays in an extraordinary museum which no longer exists. The 3-D VOs are stored in a detailed updated openaccess database. They have been integrated into virtual tours available for computer desktop and mobile devices. For the very first time Venice will have a complete, integrated virtual museum.