Since the company was founded, working with schools has played a strategic role for us. We see dialogue between business and education as essential to giving students the right tools for their future careers. Our collaboration with the State Art School “Emilio Greco” in Catania is part of this commitment.
Over the years, several projects have been developed, both as PCTO work-based learning programmes and through funding from the Piano Triennale delle Arti. The aim was to train final-year students in the professional use of digital technologies applied to cultural heritage and artistic creation, such as photogrammetric surveying, 3D modelling and additive manufacturing. Through concrete case studies, students worked with professional software including Metashape for photogrammetry and Blender for 3D modelling, gaining technical skills that are relevant not only to the arts but also to fields such as digital restoration, architecture and design.
Teaching was based on learning by doing, with field trips to culturally significant sites. Thanks to institutional partnerships, students carried out photogrammetric surveys at the Civic Museum of Castello Ursino in Catania and at Nelson Castle in Bronte, working directly with archaeological collections and historic buildings. This allowed them to situate their digital skills within real projects to enhance local heritage.
Each programme concluded with tangible outputs, such as exhibition panels documenting the different phases of the work, optimised 3D models and prototypes printed using the school’s own equipment. Students followed the entire production cycle, from data capture to post-production, experiencing first-hand the technical challenges and design choices that define professional work in cultural digitisation.
The collaboration with the Liceo Artistico Emilio Greco shows how, in the field of digital humanities, technical training and an artistic–humanities background complement each other in preparing young professionals who can use technology as a creative tool in the service of cultural heritage and contemporary design.
Luna Meli
Riccardo Bonina