MantovaRisorgimento is an interactive digital platform conceived and designed by Dotdotdot for and with the Municipality of Mantua, in collaboration with the Mantuan Institute of Contemporary History, and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (PR FESR 2021–2027) of the Lombardy Region.
The project was conceived as a structured narrative environment: Dotdotdot defined its information architecture, user experience and visual identity, translating archival materials into dynamic digital content, and integrating storytelling tools such as thematic itineraries, animated iconography, artifact factsheets, and an audio tour.
The result is a coherent ecosystem where design mediates between historical rigor and accessibility, allowing users to navigate complex content through a layered, intuitive interface.
Digitized artifacts form the starting point of a narrative journey divided into three thematic itineraries. Texts and animated images intertwine to build a dynamic exploration that moves between close observation and broader historical framing.
Like narrative binoculars, the platform enables visitors to examine documents and objects in depth through contextual insights, while also “framing” the city as a complex historical landscape.
An audio tour with an interactive map connects the digital experience with the physical places of Mantua. Following the map, it is possible to turn squares, streets, and monuments into activators of memory: events, testimonies, and narratives resurface as you walk along.
From a visual perspective, MantovaRisorgimento adopts a language that combines historical rigor and contemporary dynamism.
The color palette and typography are inspired by the 19th-century publishing tradition, reinterpreted.
The online experience is punctuated by chapters and subchapters that regulate the pace of reading and exploration. Scenic quotes, out-of-scale texts, and timely animations draw attention to iconographic details and key passages.
Each artifact is accompanied by a dedicated factsheet that combines technical information and historical context. The narrative is interspersed with thematic insights that allow for a level of engagement that can be adjusted according to the visitor's interest and time.
MantovaRisorgimento is therefore not just a digital archive, but an observatory: a tool for interpreting an era and, at the same time, for reinterpreting a territory through its visible and invisible traces.
The project is promoted and developed by Dotdotdot and the Municipality of Mantua, in collaboration with the Istituto Mantovano di Storia Contemporanea.
