Ghost Mines for Geoheritage Enhancement in the Umbria Region (Central Italy)

Abstract

The paper proposes a method to valorize abandoned mines whose traces were lost in the territory and in the collective memory. We selected two case studies in the Umbria region (central Italy) that were used as examples. The evidence of the presence of lignite mines on the Upper Tiber River Valley (northern Umbria) has been completely erased, and since they were located in rural areas, they represent an interesting challenge regarding recovering the memory of the places and proposing a no-longer-existent site as a geosite. The recovery and valorization of historical documents of the two lignite mines (Caiperino–Terranera and Carsuga) and their conversion into a digital format was carried out before constructing a geolocalized database in a GIS environment. This framework is the starting point for a promising dissemination process via a digital media app, using multimedia contents as video, 3D models and the principles of augmented reality (AR) to enhance the touristic or didactic experience and promote the cultural heritage of the territory by keeping the memory of ’ghost places’.