Supported through Interreg Italia–Malta, CHORAL is a cross-border initiative focused on enhancing the accessibility of cultural heritage through green mobility and cutting-edge digital solutions. Spanning two years from January 2025, the project sees the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the University of Malta collaborate with Heritage Malta and partners in the city of Palermo - University of Palermo, E.M. Associazione ARCES (Lead Partner) and Fondazione Le Vie dei Tesori. Prof. Maria Attard leads the UM team of researchers, Raphael Mizzi, Karyn Scerri and Stefan Borg.

CHORAL reflects the EU’s commitment to fostering regional cooperation, environmental sustainability, and inclusive access to cultural heritage across the Mediterranean.

The project addresses both physical and digital barriers to access, with the Institute working with the University of Palermo to map active travel routes linking the archaeological site of Ta’ Kaċċatura in Birżebbuġa with other locations in the Southern Region of the main island of Malta. The network of walking and cycling routes will complement the already extensive network of physical totems that the Institute has installed in the East, West and Northern Region. Heritage Malta, on the other hand, will be using advanced tools such as LiDAR, drone and terrestrial photogrammetry, and 360-degree videography, to digitally capture the site in high resolution and create a digital twin. This will serve multiple functions: supporting conservation strategies, facilitating public education, and enabling broader engagement through an online platform. Furthermore, the resulting data will inform the development of a Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM) system to assist long-term site management and heritage communication.

In parallel, Heritage Malta is producing a fully immersive 360-degree virtual reality tour of the historic Palazzina Cinese (Palermo). With the support of Italian partners providing logistics and research assistance, this VR experience will be integrated into public outreach events, allowing audiences to explore the interior of this culturally significant site virtually.

Project CHORAL is the first initiative of its kind to tackle environmental sustainability, digital transformation, and long-term accessibility in the context of cultural heritage in the Malta–Palermo region. By fostering collaboration and improving governance frameworks, CHORAL is setting a new standard for how we preserve, present, and engage with our shared cultural legacy truly making Cultural Heritage fOR AlL.

Project Number: Cod. C1-3.1-10

Project Call
Interreg Italia-Malta Programme 2021-2027 Specific Objective 3.1

Project Type
Cooperation project

Period of realisation
2025-2026 (1st January 2025 – 31st December 2026)