The reconstructive study of the Greek colony of Syracuse in a 3D stereoscopic movie for tourists and scholars

The ignorance or the mis-knowledge of the archaeological background of a modern city can affect its economy and cultural growth, limiting attractivity and spreading erroneous or distorted messages over media. The case of Syracuse (Sicily, Italy) is emblematic. Founded by the Corinthians in 733 BC, birthplace of poets and thinkers as Epicharmus and Archimedes, visited by many prominent figures of Greek culture as Pindar, Aeschylus and Plato, Syracuse over centuries became one of the most beautiful, influential and wealthy among the Greek cities of the Mediterranean basin, as the majestic temples testified. Nonetheless, regardless the historical background and the imposing visible remains of that past emerging everywhere in the actual urban area, Syracuse, since 2005 World Heritage site, has never played the role of quintessential archetype of Greek city both in the scientific literature and the mainstream. Against this scenario a proper action of historical revisionism over all the media should be undertake for restoring the neglected heritage of ancient Syracuse. A starting point is represented by a virtual archaeology project, undertook by a team of scholars of IBAM-CNR and Arcadia University-TCGS, aimed to the overall digital reconstruction of Ortigia, the core district of the Greek Syracuse, and to the production of a 3D documentary entitled `Siracusa 3D reborn', that represents a pivotal advance in the knowledge of the Greek background of the city in terms of communication. This paper aims to present the frame of open issues related to knowledge, local perception, presentation to public and interpretation of the Greek heritage of Syracuse and to explain how the `Siracusa 3D reborn' can give a significant contribution to start up new developmental policies.