We The Italians and Carraro LAB have created a metaverse dedicated to the first Italian American Future Leaders event of last January 13/15, 2023 in Florida. The virtual environment was inspired by the physical location of the meeting, FLA LIVE ARENA in Fort Lauderdale.

There are no space limitations in the metaverse, so we virtually occupied the entire facility, which hosts major sports and entertainment events. Take a look at this video! At the end of the presentation, the participants were able to click on a link or scan a QR code that allows them to enter this metaverse, using a  smartphone or PC, or with a virtual reality headset.

It was decided to use the new language of the metaverse because in Italy we are helping the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to develop a virtual platform dedicated to all Italians abroad, on the occasion of the year of “roots tourism," in 2024.

We the Italians wanted to anticipate this initiative by starting to experiment with some environments, content and experiences.

The project involves a virtual representation of Italy that allows remote access to three-dimensional meeting places inspired by the lifestyle and environments of the Bel Paese, offered to Italians around the world.

In this metaverse, open h24 for 365 days a year, events can be organized.

Each environment of the meta-Italy is a symbolic place, but also an intuitive interface metaphor created to host communities of interest of Italians abroad. So we will have piazzas, restaurants, libraries, theaters, art galleries, and much more, all in Italian style and strictly virtual.

Each place is equipped with virtual themed furnishings aimed at hosting different kinds of exhibitions and events.

Some of the content and spaces available in this first demonstration environment have been created by the students of the “Internet 3 Academy”, the first course dedicated to the metaverse in Italy.

PIAZZA MUSA is the first Italian American piazza in the metaverse.

The virtual square is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, halfway between Europe and the US, and will be a kind of bridge, an ideal point of contact between our two cultures.

It will host three-dimensional architectural components, artistic and naturalistic elements inspired by the beauty of Italy. In this digital context, a number of innovative ideas supported by Artificial Intelligence will find their place and act as a thread to the visit of the square.

Why MUSA? The name comes from the graphic study of the first symbolic element that greets us when we set foot in the square: a reference to the M of Metaverse that is completed with the acronym well known to all.

MUSA is the inspirer we desire for the exploration of new worlds and new ways of being.

The main element of MUSA Square is precisely a very linear Square where the first digital content is encountered.

Tri-colored triumphal arches at the bottom of the square induce one to continue on to access three pavilions arranged in a cross.

In the center there is the environment dedicated to MADE IN ITALY.

On either side you will find a circular pavilion dedicated to ITALIAN TOURISM with large windows and terrace to sweep over vast panoramas and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of our Bel Paese.

Inside, workstations with concave monitors let you imagine the pleasantness of doing nomadic working while letting yourself be inspired by the sensations that only nature can offer, even inserted in recovered rural settings or in historic buildings that have undergone refined renovations.

A pavilion dedicated to ITALIAN CULTURE is the most sober and severe of the architectural elements present. A Cloister covered by a structure inspired by the Square Coliseum. It is the ideal setting to gather evocative images of Italian culture, from History to literature, from archaeological heritage to monumental heritage with references to music, cinematography, dance, song, theater...

Artificial intelligence again concurs to represent our talents with different digital pictorial styles. During the visit we are accompanied by a review of statements and conversations about the metaverse, by famous Italian American figures of the past, made with Artificial Intelligence.

At the bottom of the square, we find two tall "digitally sculpted" totems with striking views of Cinque Terre and the Sassi of Matera.

Above a stylized circular Colosseum stands a statue of Christopher Columbus with a virtual reality headset, made in terracotta by a sculptor for the event.

Other exhibits of images inspired by Italian metaverses, created with artificial intelligence and artistic-photographic representations including an NFT celebrating the event in "de Chirico metaphysical" style.

Artificial intelligence was also used in this video to implement machine translation, and text to speech.

Another environment, created by Carraro LAB, is a journey through some of the places and themes of Italian culture.

- We can overlook Imperial Rome, reconstructed in 3D in its ancient splendor.

- We enter the mind of the Genius Leonardo da Vinci, his designs and inventions.

- We explore a virtual cathedral, discovering the Bible, visualized in images.

- We visit Dante's Inferno, and discover how the great poet imagined the underworld.

- We rediscover the art of memory, an ancient tradition that created mental metaverses to support knowledge

See you soon in the metaverse!