Castellaccio of Monreale: From the Survey to the Visualisation of Virtual Reconstructions

Abstract

On Monte Caputo near Monreale stands a castle, presumably built in the twelfth century. The paper presents the first results of a still in progress survey activity, carried out on the entire monument using laser scanning and photogram-metric methods. This activity was carried out as part of a scientific agreement stipu-lated between the University of Palermo, Department of Architecture and the Club Alpino Siciliano, owner of the Castle. The graphic restitution of the survey provided new information and unpublished images of the castle. It was then possible to formu-late hypotheses on the virtual reconstruction of lost configurations. This was achiev-able thanks to the survey analytical reading which is intended as a tool for the critical interpretation of the monument, together with the study of historical, archival and iconographic sources. A video was made by combining animation and visualisation techniques of 3D models with drone video shootings. It narrates the monument by proposing the virtual navigation of some of the castle areas, through the construc-tion of three-dimensional digital models allowing to ideally move in space and time. The video lets to enjoy the castle even from a distance. The use of 3D visualisation techniques allows to transmit cultural content and historical information to a wide audience in a simple and immediate language.