From May 7–9, 2025, the NERITES Project was featured at the international conference “Preventive and Planned Conservation: Towards a Shared Protocol in Places of Culture”, hosted in Rome at the historic Curia Iulia (May 7–8) and in Perugia at the National Gallery of Umbria (May 9). This high-level event was co-organized by the DiVa – Department for the Promotion of Cultural Heritage, the General Directorate of Museums, the Colosseum Archaeological Park, and the Regional Directorate of National Museums of Umbria.
Designed to foster institutional dialogue, the conference brought together national and international stakeholders from across the cultural heritage sector. It offered a vital platform to evaluate ongoing strategies in preventive conservation and to build consensus around systemic, coordinated maintenance frameworks for cultural sites. The focus was on translating successful case studies and interdisciplinary approaches into actionable, long-term conservation protocols.
On May 8, NERITES was presented through a keynote titled ‘Monitoring Underwater Cultural Heritage with Autonomous Technologies: The Case of the NERITES Project,’ delivered by Carlotta Sacco Perasso and co-authored by a consortium of experts, including Barbara Davidde, Fabio Bruno, Antonio Lagudi, Michela Ricca, Silvestro Antonio Ruffolo, Mauro La Russa, Salvatore Passaro, Mattia Vallefuoco, and Stella Tamburrino.
This presentation emphasized the importance of integrating autonomous systems in the preventive conservation of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH). Through the deployment of cutting-edge, non-invasive technologies—such as AI-enhanced monitoring platforms and autonomous underwater vehicles—NERITES is pioneering sustainable, scalable methodologies that align with the conference’s vision of planned, multidisciplinary, and continuous conservation strategies.
The insights shared during the conference underscored the project’s significant role in advancing global efforts to safeguard cultural assets, promote scientific collaboration, and preserve underwater heritage as a vital part of our collective history for future generations.
