Torralba: the archaeological complex of Nuraghe Santu Antine will represent Italy. On Friday March 13 at 10:00 am, the press conference to launch the international project “Twin it! Part II” of the Europeana Foundation 2025-2026 will be held in the central tower of the nuraghe.
The initiative is part of the European Union strategy encouraging Member States to digitize in 3D the main cultural sites and those considered at risk, making them available in the common European cultural heritage data space managed by the Europeana Foundation.
For the 2025-2026 edition, the Central Institute for the Digitization of Cultural Heritage – Digital Library, within the Directorate-General for Digitization and Communication of the Ministry of Culture and in coordination with the Directorate-General for European and International Affairs of the Ministry of Culture, has nominated the Nuraghe Santu Antine. The candidacy, promoted by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Sassari and Nuoro, was formally accepted in February 2026.
The monument represents one of the most important architectural expressions of the Nuragic civilization.
It comprises a central tower on three levels, almost 18 meters high, and a trilobate bastion with megalithic corridors. The site is also part of the UNESCO serial nomination “Nuragic Monuments of Sardinia”.
The project involves the creation of a digital twin of the complex. The 3D model will allow both virtual exploration of the site and monitoring of maintenance and restoration work.
The Central Institute for the Digitization of Cultural Heritage – Digital Library is coordinating the project with the scientific advice and local support of the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Sassari and Nuoro.
The Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning of the University of Sassari will create the 3D model through the GRA•VIS | Laboratory of Graphic and Visual Sciences. The Municipality of Torralba and the La Pintadera Cooperative, which manages the site, are also collaborating on the initiative.
The European campaign will conclude with a final event during which the Ministers of Culture will present the 3D assets created. The event will also host the "Hack for Europe" hackathon, dedicated to developing new creative uses of digitized cultural heritage.
Photo: ABAP Superintendency for the provinces of Sassari and Nuoro.
TGR Sardinia report: https://www.rainews.it/tgr/sardegna/video/2026/03/il-modello-3d-del-nuraghe-santu-antine-protagonista-in-ue-del-progetto-twin-it-07c51973-5eed-4ba3-bef5-76e87330c36b.html