The Trip eMotion project was developed within the framework of the National Research and Competitiveness Operational Programme 2007-2013 and aims to create a system that integrates the possibility for tourists to visit certain places of interest in the territory with the needs of local administrations and institutional bodies that manage Sicily’s artistic and cultural heritage.

This web/social platform, through the 3D reconstruction of tourist attractions, allows the user/avatar to move within the place of interest, purchase the eventual ticket for the real or virtual enjoyment of the tourist attraction, interact with other users who have visited the place or are visiting it at that moment in a virtual way, and communicate in real time with the public administrations that manage the tourist attraction and with the commercial activities that have installed a virtual version of their business within it.

The site of cultural interest on which the experience is focused is the Benedictine Monastery of San Nicolò l’Arena in Catania, Sicily, the second largest monastery in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The user/visitor is involved in a unique immersive experience thanks to the 3D reconstruction of the Monastery, inside which it is possible to visit the two cloisters, the 16th-century cellar floor (now converted into a Faculty Library), the Roman domus, the Night Choir, the Novices’ Garden, the kitchens and the 18th-century cellars, the work of architect Vaccarini.