The time machine. Cultural heritage and the geo-referenced storytelling of urban historical metamorphose

The digital revolution is changing the space and the concept of cultural heritage. Furthermore, mobile devices – thanks to geolocalization, augmented/ virtual reality, ubiquitous and multimodal interactions – transform the cultural storytelling in a pervasive and ongoing experience crossing seamlessly the boundaries between places of preservation and the historical remains spread in a territory. The paper proposes a design experience which explores the historical layering and evolution of the city of Milano through an interactive time machine. The cultural key chosen to read the historical development is the Manzoni’s novel The Betrothed. According to the literary interpretation, three key periods have been explored along with the evolution of the urban representation. The historical period of the novel (XVII century) corresponding to the map drawn by Cartaro in 1581. Milan at the time of the author (1785–1873) before the Beruto’s master plan that brought down the Spanish walls. And the contemporary city, where the novel itineraries are still recognizable. The time machine – the core features of the app PS 3.0 – is a dynamic way to visualize and experience the geo-referenced point of interests of the cultural paths that allow people to discover past in the present in a spatially-situated interaction.