A new version of the Diomede platform has been launched, mapping the cultural and natural heritage of the Italian and Croatian Adriatic coasts. The relaunch is the result of the VALUE Plus project, funded under the Interreg Italy-Croatia programme and co-financed by the European Union.
The VALUE Plus project brings together eight partners from the two countries and is coordinated by the Municipality of Ravenna. The Diomede platform was originally created within the framework of the previous VALUE project. The new mapping was carried out by five involved cultural districts: the Po River Delta, Cres-Lošinj, Medulin, the Dubrovnik suburban area and Capo di Leuca.
The mapping resulted in the inclusion of 787 new locations, which have been georeferenced and accompanied by bilingual descriptions and accessibility information. In addition, 51 cultural events and 22 thematic routes organised into 9 narrative units have been included.
Three themes were taken over from the VALUE project: trading centres (emporia) and trade routes in the ancient world, Roman presence in the northern Adriatic, and the Middle Ages and major spiritual centres. The VALUE Plus project introduces the Renaissance and the influence of Venice, with a focus on Renaissance aqueducts, as well as Byzantium and mosaics and contemporary mosaic art. Two themes arising from the specificities of the area were also added: nature, landscape and slow tourism, and local identity and layered heritage.
Roman presence links Lower Romagna and the Po River Delta with the Vižula archaeological park in Medulin. The mosaic theme links the UNESCO sites in Ravenna with the coastal villas of southern Istria. The Venetian Renaissance is evident in the loggias and city gates of Cres and Osor, along the route of the 15th-century aqueduct built in Dubrovnik by Onofrio de Giordano. This aqueduct is the focus of a special pilot activity of the project, and the Venetian Renaissance is also evident in the hydraulic works in the Po River Delta.
The new homepage is located on the website of the Istituto Delta Ecologia Applicata institute and guides users through five areas. The platform allows access to a general interactive map and detailed maps of individual locations, and the interface has been graphically redesigned and optimised for browsing on mobile devices. A special section presents sustainable tourism offers and tourist packages designed in collaboration with students through a content co-creation process. Diomede is available at https://www.istitutodelta.it/en/diomedeng/.
The VALUE Plus project is titled Added value to cultural areas for the tourist valorisation of the cross-border area and carries the code ITHR0200204. It is financed by funds from the Interreg VI-A Italy-Croatia 2021 – 2027 programme, under the priority of Culture and tourism for sustainable development. Specific objective 4.1 is to strengthen the role of culture and sustainable tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation.
The VALUE Plus partnership brings together the City of Ravenna as the leading partner, the Regional Park of the Po River Delta in the Veneto region, the Emilia-Romagna region, the Istituto Delta Ecologia Applicata institute, the City of Cres, the Municipality of Medulin, DURA (Dubrovnik Development Agency) and the Municipality of Patù. The project builds on the results of the previous Interreg VALUE project, expands the Adriatic cultural area to five territories and enriches the Diomede platform with new themes, itineraries and services.
