edited by Paola Iacona, in collaboration with MUDIF

If spring is by definition a symbol of awakening and change, the Archaeological Museum of Finale [https://www.museoarcheologicodelfinale.it/] is also approaching the new season with a renewed look. After a long planning and administrative process, the project “From Stone to Digital. Universal accessibility at the Archaeological Museum of Finale – MAF” has kicked off, destined to profoundly transform the visitor experience.

Funded by the European Union through the Ministry of Culture and managed by the Directorate General of Museums, as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) – Mission M1C3 Investment 1.2 “Removal of physical and cognitive barriers in museums, libraries and archives”, the path undertaken marks a concrete transition towards a more accessible, inclusive, and contemporary museum.

A museum that changes to welcome better

The museum has just reopened its doors after the first phase of work, which involved the redesign of some rooms and reception areas, focusing on innovation, digitalization, and improving the visitor experience.

The atrium, overlooking the evocative Cloisters of Santa Caterina, and the ticket office are now more functional and welcoming, anticipating a transformation that is progressively involving the entire exhibition route.

A change that goes beyond the architectural aspect and concerns the very way of communicating heritage, as explained by the Director of the Archaeological Museum of Finale, Prof. Daniele Arobba: “The various objectives of our Museum—research, collection, conservation, and interpretation—cannot ignore communication and therefore the exhibition function. Two strictly connected aspects that must aim to make spaces open to the public ‘accessible to all’, eliminating or at least reducing those obstacles that can affect a full experience”.

Not just renovated spaces, then, but also new tools: from the website to multilingual audio guides, and digital and multimedia supports capable of accompanying every visitor in a personalized way. The goal is ambitious, but it is becoming increasingly concrete: to become a museum ‘open to everyone and for everyone’. In this perspective, the museum is configured as a direct expression of the community to which it belongs: an inclusive museum is the mirror of an inclusive community, capable of recognizing itself in its own places of culture.

A more immersive and inclusive experience

Some of the main sections of the exhibition route of the Archaeological Museum of Finale will be progressively renovated and partly redesigned, with interventions designed by ETT spa, a Ligurian company leader in the field of museum and digital innovation. The goal is clear: to break down physical, sensory, and cognitive barriers and offer an immersive and inclusive experience, capable of involving every visitor in an active and autonomous way. Without sacrificing scientific rigor.

“A long and careful design work has been implemented to ensure the scientific consistency of the topics proposed, paying particular attention to the optimization of content and the graphic adaptation of supports, as a fundamental point for the understanding of complex and diversified themes by everyone,” highlighted Elisa Bianchi, curator of the Archaeological Museum of Finale. “New exhibition spaces will be added to existing ones, designed to integrate and improve the visitor experience, making the visitors themselves involved and active.”

From real to virtual: a museum without barriers

Among the new features, the interactive section of “Big Questions” stands out—a space designed to stimulate reflection, curiosity, and discussion on universal themes—along with a multisensory path divided into twelve stages, which accompanies the visitor in an engaging experience also on an emotional and sensory level, starting from some of the museum’s most significant objects. Everything is integrated with digital tools and a “smart” itinerary with dedicated content, designed to adapt to different visitor needs.

Great attention is paid to accessibility: a new room will allow visitors to explore the Arene Candide Cave even for those who cannot physically access it, thus expanding the knowledge of one of the most relevant sites for European prehistory.

In this same direction are the virtual tours of local sites that are not accessible, which allow for the overcoming of physical limits and conservation constraints, strengthening the link between museum and landscape and opening new perspectives for enhancement and discovery.

It is precisely through these tools, both physical and digital, that an already rooted principle is translated today into a concrete experience, expanding access to knowledge and making it truly shared.

A new beginning

The reopening of the Archaeological Museum of Finale thus marks the beginning of a new season: a journey of transformation that looks far ahead, but is already tangible in the spaces and the visitor experience.

An invitation to return, or to discover for the first time, a place where history meets innovation and where every detail is designed to welcome, involve, and tell a story.

For further information: https://www.museoarcheologicodelfinale.it/