On Wednesday, April 15, 2026, the community of Futani (SA) came together for the XRTourGuide Evaluation Day, a key milestone in our EU-funded FUTURAL sub-project dedicated to enhancing the region’s cultural and environmental heritage. The event opened with institutional greetings from Aldo Luongo and Pietro D’Angelo of the Comunità Montana Bussento – Lambro e Mingardo, alongside Prof. Vittorio Scarano (UNISA), highlighting the project’s strategic territorial value. We were also thrilled to welcome the students and principal Antonio Iannuzzelli from the Liceo Scientifico Da Vinci of Vallo della Lucania, emphasizing the vital role of engaging local youth and schools in the technological innovation process.
Throughout the day, attendees explored the newly developed digital tours through comprehensive presentations and an engaging live demo led by UNISA. Beyond showcasing the immersive experiences, the team unveiled highly anticipated new app features—such as offline tour downloads, Italian/English multi-language support, and built-in feedback tools—developed directly from previous stakeholder input. Our own Daniele Monaco also took the stage to detail Picaresque’s strategic approach to content creation and dissemination, demonstrating how to make these digital tours both accessible and deeply captivating for the end user.
At Picaresque, working alongside UNISA and the Comunità Montana, we believe that genuine digital innovation must be shaped by the people who actually live in the territory. This philosophy came to life during the afternoon’s hands-on workshops, where citizens, teachers, and local associations transformed the event into a true co-creation laboratory. By directly involving the students and local users in testing the platform and gathering crucial real-time feedback, we are ensuring the application perfectly aligns with the community’s daily needs and operational realities.
The Evaluation Day was a fantastic opportunity to explore new paths in sustainable tourism, place-based promotion, and cross-sector networking. We extend a huge thank you to the institutions, the brilliant students, and everyone who joined us in Futani for such an open, productive dialogue. Your insights and enthusiasm are the true driving force helping us build the future of XR-enhanced tourism!