Aosta Digitale

Games, puzzles and evocative itineraries in a journey of discovery through Aosta

Aosta Digitale is an app consisting of two main tools: a Videogame with games and puzzles that must be solved during an evocative journey through time aimed at discovering - "remotely" - Aosta's cultural heritage, and an Interactive Map, compass and "magnifying glass" that allow one to explore the city by following fascinating and practical themed itineraries.

The plot of the Videogame is inspired by the story of the English Romantic traveller William Brockedon who, between 1821 and 1839, stayed in Italy and in the Aosta Valley several times, as reported in his travel notebook entitled 'Illustrations of the Passes of the Alps'. It is precisely from this manuscript and verified events in his life that the narrative of the game draws its inspiration.

In addition to being a painter and writer, Brockedon was also an inventor in the wake of a strong watchmaking tradition inherited from his father. In the game, his remarkable inventive skills, applied to the precise and fascinating art learned through his father's teachings, allow him to design and build a very special clock, featuring a delicate gear that allows time travel by overcoming space-time barriers.

It so happens, however, that during the heavy flood of 1846, the notebook is lost and the gear breaks, leaving the character 'imprisoned' in our own time. By solving games and puzzles, the contemporary traveller will help Brockedon to rebuild the gear and find the lost notebook sheets, thus allowing him to return to his own time.

The player, or an enthusiastic traveller who wishes to explore Aosta by physically visiting the city, will be supported by the Interactive Map in visiting the sites of main interest, moving along thematic or customised itineraries that retrace the most culturally significant places. Augmented Reality, which can be activated either by being in Aosta or by using the app in any other place, will make the visit to the Cryptoportico, the Roman Theatre and the Church of San Lorenzo an evocative experience. Lastly, an exclusive Virtual Reality experience is available solely for visitors who physically go to Aosta: the user will be projected into an exciting journey in the megalithic area of Saint-Martin-de-Corléans, in which he or she will be able to experience, in a fully immersive mode, ritual actions and instances of life lived in carefully reconstructed prehistoric settings.