A hug to bring new life to the villages

Embracing Place is an invitation to take care of forgotten places, highlighting their human and cultural potential.
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Embracing Place is an innovative territorial enhancement project that combines virtual reality, art, and the cultural heritage of Italy’s small villages.
Born from the success of PEACEFUL PLACES — winner of the Auggie Award for Best Art in Virtual Reality 2021in California — Embracing Place expands the original vision by turning citizens into active storytellers of their own land.

Created by Margherita Landi and Agnese Lanza, the project uses the embrace as a symbolic gesture that connects people and places. The architectural spaces of the villages become natural stages where artistic and human heritage merge, creating an emotional experience that gives new value to communities and territories often overlooked by traditional tourism.

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Why participate?

The embrace

Participating means experiencing the benefits of the embrace: an increase in endorphins, improved mood and self-confidence, stronger human connections, and more effective nonverbal communication — all contributing to a more cohesive and aware community.

VR

Immersive technology bridges territorial gaps, creates deep emotional engagement, and makes places accessible that would otherwise be out of reach due to geographic or physical barriers. It is also a powerful tool to bring younger generations closer to discovering cultural heritage. Participating means creating a true historical document of our time — one destined to grow in value over the years.

Building connections

Embracing Place builds authentic connections between people, places, and skills. Participating means contributing to a widespread, inclusive network that brings together local communities, artists, cultural institutions, and public bodies in a virtuous collaborative ecosystem. The project enhances local knowledge, encourages the circulation of content across territories to strengthen shared identity, and fosters new collaborations through a common cultural platform.

They have already embraced the project

Three villages are already part of our journey. The map grows, embrace after embrace.

Embracing Place is an artistic project created by Margherita Landi and Agnese Lanza.
The structure, content, and format are the intellectual property of the authors.
Each stage is carried out in collaboration with local organizations, which oversee the executive production.
The first three stages were produced by Giardino Chiuso, with the support of the TOCC – Ministry of Culture program

Objectives

  • Build alliances between citizens, artists, and public and private institutions.
  • Activate co-design processes within villages, enhancing local knowledge and creative skills.
  • Create a cross-disciplinary community of practice around VR, performance, and cultural heritage.
  • Encourage the circulation of content across territories, strengthening the network’s shared identity.
  • Foster new collaborations and projects through a common cultural platform.

The project is funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU
PNRR Digital Transition for Cultural and Creative Organizations.