Monte Generoso Area, around 40,000 years ago. Here, Neanderthals and Cave Bears shared a cave, located at what is now the border between Switzerland and Italy. The gigantic plantigrades, mostly herbivores, were among the most common cave dwellers during the last Ice Age. Twice as large and heavy as today’s Grizzly bears, and much bulkier than polar bears, they were giants that were nearly impossible for any predator to attack. The small Neanderthal tribes must have feared these enormous and dangerous animals but likely even attempted to capture some, armed only with courage and sticks with flint points attached.

Starting from the last week of June 2021, unless new health restrictions arise, we will no longer need to imagine this. Thanks to an unprecedented Augmented Reality experience and special multimedia glasses that are perfectly transparent, we will be able to relive it. These glasses will seamlessly merge the real world with 3D reconstructions of the past, creating a true time machine 4.0.

The natural setting is unique: the Generosa Cave (also known as the Cave of the Bear), a famous paleontological site visited every year by hundreds of hikers, remains an active excavation and study site for paleontologists from the University of Milan. Situated in Italy, just 30 minutes from the Swiss border on the summit of Monte Generoso, the site has yielded and studied remains of ancient plantigrades, alongside evidence of human presence.

“Finally,” says Mario Pozzi, mayor of Centro Valle d’Intelvi, “after about three years of work, the opportunity to introduce this reality to foreign and local visitors has become concrete. Furthermore, the use of new technologies adds value to a site that is already an important cultural and tourism reference point, both for the Italian and Swiss sides. By the end of June, due to the pandemic, the experiences will start on a smaller scale, with the hope that next year we can launch them fully.”

At the entrance to the cave, wearing the special smart multimedia glasses (smartglasses) equipped with software that enables them to recognize what the visitor is viewing and how they are moving in space, visitors will be transported to the sea floor, to an ecosystem that occupied the area millions of years ago, leaving extraordinary fossil deposits.

The journey through history continues upon entering the cave, where visitors will need to wear a protective helmet while using the glasses. Here, in the midst of excavations, they will witness the Cave Bears coming to life. These bears, who truly inhabited the cave, are still displayed (a mother with her cubs). Visitors will be able to closely observe them as they eat, play, and sleep—thanks to spectacular 3D reconstructions created by university researchers in collaboration with the project’s technological partner, ARtGlass (an Italian-American company specializing in Augmented Reality for tourism and culture).

Finally, after exiting the cave, the visitor will encounter a Neanderthal family cooking and eating around a fire.

The experience, available in three languages (Italian, English, and German), has been developed by an interdisciplinary team that includes paleontologists, geologists, archaeologists, Augmented Reality experts, 3D modelers, and videomakers. A significant contribution has come from paleontologist Fabio Bona, Curator of the Civic Fossil Museum of Besano (VA) and Councillor of the Italian Paleontological Society, and Professor Lucia Angiolini, President of the Italian Paleontological Society and Coordinator of the Interdepartmental Didactic College of Natural Sciences: “The research and work conducted as part of the INTERREG VA ‘SCOPRI’ project have made the visit to the Generosa Cave a unique experience. While the scientific aspects of the site have been studied and enhanced, the creation of a new lighting system and the application of Augmented Reality technology using special Epson visors provide an immersive experience among cave bears and Neanderthals in the cave’s evocative environment.”

The cave can be reached from both the summit of Monte Generoso (Swiss side) and Alpe d’Orimento (Italian side). To guide visitors through the natural trails and showcase the magnificent mountain landscapes, experts from SUPSI (University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland) have developed an innovative mobile app that visitors can download onto their smartphones. Informational panels with QR codes for downloading the app will be available along the trail. “SUPSI is particularly proud to have led this project and to demonstrate how new technologies can be helpful in promoting tourism,” says Giacomo Poretti, Swiss project leader, computer engineer, and SUPSI researcher. “From an initial idea that seemed difficult to implement, we are now happy to have brought the cave bears back to Monte Generoso thanks to a smartphone app that provides Augmented Reality-based informative experiences and facilitates the digital booking and purchase of tickets for guided cave visits in a sustainable way, without the need for paper tickets or cash payments.”

This experience is part of the INTERREG project known by the acronym SCOPRI, led by the Municipality of Centro Valle Intelvi for Italy and the Information Systems and Networking Institute of SUPSI for Switzerland, with partners including the Lario Intelvese Mountain Community, the University of Milan, the Mendrisiotto and Basso Ceresio Tourist Organization, and Ticino Tourism.

The strategic goal of the project is to introduce an exclusive element of innovation to the tourism offering of the Monte Generoso area, making the visit unique and unforgettable, attracting international attention, and enhancing a shared geographic area to encourage the region’s tourism and economic development. The project aims to promote the historical, cultural, and natural heritage of the Monte Generoso region through the creation of cross-border tourist itineraries, marketed as “The Region to Discover.”

“With the SCOPRI Interreg Project,” says Ferruccio Rigola, President of the Lario Intelvese Mountain Community, “our goal is to contribute to the development of the area by increasing tourist presence, enhancing all the distinctive features of the Monte Generoso Regional Forest: the Bear Cave, but also the laburnum forest, the remains of the Cadorna Line trenches, offering a new map of the extensive trail network in this cross-border area, and finally allowing visitors to once again enjoy our local products at the main refreshment points on both the Italian and Swiss sides. The tourist will be intrigued, especially by the innovative ability to make the past visible: the Bear Cave visitor, through special glasses, will experience Augmented Reality face-to-face with the extinct Cave Bear, thanks to the experience provided by ARtGlass, appointed by the mountain agency. The visitor’s experience will be unique and unforgettable.”

Using the same technology, and again in collaboration with ARtGlass, Swiss project partners had previously implemented the Augmented Reality visit to the medieval village of Tremona Castello, on the Swiss side, a historic site of great interest that now attracts thousands of visitors each year. Today, the time machine of this extraordinary tourist region adds another unforgettable stop.

Dice Nadia Fontana Lupi, Direttrice dell’Organizzazione Turistica Regionale del Mendrisiotto e Basso Ceresio: “L’OTR da sempre promuove le visite alla Grotta dell’Orso, che ha inserito ormai da molti anni tra i primi 7 temi d’attrazione per la regione. Il Monte Generoso è una destinazione turistica molto visitata ed apprezzata e la sua vetta, da 130 anni, è comodamente raggiungibile con il treno a cremagliera in partenza da Capolago. Siamo particolarmente felici di poter proporre nuovamente le visite all’interno della Grotta dell’Orso, arricchite dall’introduzione dell’esperienza con gli occhiali 3D, che ci permetterà di portare i visitatori a compiere un vero salto nel passato! Questo progetto  ci permette inoltre di aggiungere un ulteriore tassello al progetto di comunicazione valorizzando il tema delle visite in realtà aumentata che proponiamo già da qualche anno con successo al Parco archeologico di Tremona, sul Monte San Giorgio e valorizzare il tema dell’offerta esperienziale”.

Notizie utili:
Giugno – settembre 2021
Le visite avvengono solo in gruppo e accompagnate da una guida specializzata e durano 30/40 minuti. La temperatura interna alla Grotta è di 10 gradi centigradi. Gruppi composti da un massimo di 12 persone possono visitare il sito a partire dalle 10.00 fino alle 16.30. Per i minorenni vi è l’obbligo di accompagnamento da parte di un adulto.

Per informazioni:
https://progetti.interreg-italiasvizzera.eu/it/b/78/laregionedascoprire
https://www.mendrisiottoturismo.ch/

Territory of Monte Generoso, about 40,000 years ago. Here, the Neanderthal Man and the Cave Bear shared a cave, at what is now the border between Switzerland and Italy. The gigantic plantigrades, mostly herbivores, were among the most common inhabitants of the caves during the last ice age. Twice as large and heavier as today’s Grizzlies, with a mass much greater than even that of polar bears, they represented giants that were difficult to attack by any predator. The small Neanderthal tribes certainly must have feared these huge and dangerous animals, but, probably, they even tried to capture some armed only with courage and sticks with a flint point at the end.

All this – except for new impediments due to the health situation – starting from the last week of June 2021, we will no longer have to try to imagine it, but we will be able to relive it, thanks to an unprecedented Augmented Reality experience and special perfectly transparent multimedia glasses. capable of merging the real world with the 3D reconstructions of the past. A real time machine 4.0.

The natural scenery is also unique: the Generosa Cave (also known as the Bear’s Cave), a famous paleontological site visited every year by hundreds of hikers and still today a very active place of excavation and study by paleontologists of the State University of Milan, in Italian territory but only 30 minutes from the Swiss border on the top of Generoso. Here the remains of primitive plantigrades have been discovered and studied, alongside the evidence of human presence.

“Finally – says Mario Pozzi, mayor of the Municipality of Centro Valle d’Intelvi – after about 3 years of work, the possibility of making this reality known to the foreign and local public becomes concrete; in addition, the use of new technologies adds value to a site that, in itself, is already an important reference on a tourist-cultural level, both for the Italian and Swiss sides. At the end of June, due to the pandemic, the experiences will start to a lesser extent, with the hope that next year we can start at full capacity».

Already at the entrance to the Grotto, wearing the special intelligent multimedia glasses (smartglass) equipped with software that makes them able to recognize what the visitor is looking at and how they move in space, you will find yourself being transported to the bottom of the sea, in the ecosystem that occupied this territory millions of years ago and which today has left us extraordinary fossil deposits.

The journey through history will continue with the entrance to the Grotto, where with glasses it will be necessary to wear a protective helmet. Here, in the middle of the excavations, you can see the cave bears that really lived in the cave come back to life and whose remains are still exposed (a mother with her cubs). You can admire them up close while they eat, play, sleep – thanks to spectacular 3D reconstructions made by university researchers together with the project’s technological partner, ARtGlass (an Italian-American company leader in the field of Augmented Reality for tourism and culture). Finally, after leaving the cave, the visitor will meet a Neanderthal family intent on cooking and eating around a fire.

To create the experience, which will be available in 3 languages ​​(Italian, English and German), an interdisciplinary team was created, which saw paleontologists, geologists, archaeologists, Augmented Reality experts, 3D modelers and videomakers work side by side. In this sense, an important contribution was provided by the Paleontologist Fabio Bona, as well as Conservator of the Civic Museum of Fossils of Besano (VA) and Councilor of the Italian Paleontological Society, and by Professor Lucia Angiolini, President of the Italian Paleontological Society and Coordinator of the College Interdepartmental Didactic of Natural Sciences: «The researches and works carried out within the INTERREG VA project “SCOPRI” made it possible to make the visit to the Generosa Cave a unique experience. While on the one hand the scientific aspects of the site have been deepened and enhanced, on the other the creation of a new lighting system and the application of Augmented Reality technology, through the use of special Epson viewers, allow you to experience a engaging experience between bears and Pleistocene Neanderthals, in the evocative environment of the cave ».

The Grotto can be reached both from the summit of Monte Generoso (Swiss side) and from the Alpe d’Orimento (Italian side). To guide visitors through the natural paths and make them discover the magnificent mountain landscapes, experts from SUPSI (University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Italian Switzerland) have developed an innovative mobile application that all visitors can download on their smartphones. Educational and information panels with QR code to download the app will be available along the way. “SUPSI is particularly proud to have led this project and to be able to demonstrate how new technologies can also be useful in the field of tourism promotion. From an initial idea that seemed difficult to realize, we are now happy to be able to revive the bears on Monte Generoso thanks to a smartphone application capable of providing information experiences based on augmented reality and facilitating the reservation and purchase of tickets required for guided tours in the cave in a digital and sustainable way, without resorting to paper tickets and cash payments ”, these are the words of Giacomo Poretti, Swiss leader, IT engineer and SUPSI researcher.

The experience is part of the Interreg project named with the acronym DISCOVER, whose lead partners are the Municipality of Centro Valle Intelvi for Italy and the SUPSI Information Systems and Networking Institute for Switzerland and which provides as partners are the Comunità Montana Lario Intelvese, the University of Milan, the Mendrisiotto and Lower Ceresio Tourism Organization and Ticino Turismo.

The strategic objective of the project is to introduce an exclusive element of innovation in the tourist offer of the Generoso able to make the visit unique and unforgettable, attracting international attention and enhancing a common geographical area, to encourage the tourist and economic development of the entire region. The project therefore intends to enhance the historical, cultural and naturalistic heritage of the Monte Generoso region through the networking of cross-border tourist itineraries promoted in an integrated way as “The Region to Discover”.

“With the Interreg SCOPRI Project – says the President of the Mountain Community Lario Intelvese, Ferruccio Rigola – our goal is to contribute to the development of the territory by increasing the presence of tourists through the enhancement of all the peculiarities of the Regional Forest of Monte Generoso: the Grotta dell ‘Orso, but also the laburnum forest, the remains of the trenches of the Cadorna Line, offering a new map of the wide path network of this cross-border area and the possibility of being able to finally return to taste our typical products at the main refreshment points on the Italian and Swiss fronts. We want to intrigue the tourist above all with the innovative ability to make the past visible: the visitor of the Grotta dell’Orso, through the special glasses, will be able to experience an augmented reality experience face to face with the extinct Cave Bear, thanks to the experience of ArtGlass, commissioned by the Mountain Authority. The visit of the tourist will be unique and unforgettable ».

With the same technology and always in collaboration with ARtGlass, the Swiss partners of the project had carried out, in 2018, the Augmented Reality visit of the medieval village of Tremona Castello, on the Swiss side, a historic site of great interest, today visited by thousands every year of visitors. Today, the time machine of this extraordinary tourist region is enriched with a new, unforgettable stage.

Nadia Fontana Lupi, Director of the Mendrisiotto and Lower Ceresio Regional Tourism Organization, says: “The OTR has always promoted visits to the Bear’s Cave, which for many years has included among the top 7 themes of attraction for the region . Monte Generoso is a very visited and appreciated tourist destination and its summit, for 130 years, has been easily reached by cogwheel train departing from Capolago. We are particularly happy to be able to propose again the visits inside the Grotta dell’Orso, enriched by the introduction of the experience with 3D glasses, which will allow us to take visitors to take a real leap into the past! This project also allows us to add a further piece to the communication project by enhancing the theme of augmented reality visits that we have been successfully proposing for some years to the Archaeological Park of Tremona, on Monte San Giorgio, and to enhance the theme of the experiential offer “.

News:

June – September 2021 The visits take place only in groups and accompanied by a specialized guide and last 30/40 minutes.
The temperature inside the cave is 10 degrees centigrade.
Groups of up to 12 people can visit the site from 10.00 to 16.30.
For minors there is an obligation to be accompanied by an adult.

For information:

https://progetti.interreg-italiasvizzera.eu/it/b/78/laregionedascoprire
https://www.mendrisiottoturismo.ch/