Schola Medica Salernitana Virtual Museum | Salerno, Italy

Museo Virtuale della Scuola Medica Salernitana

Located in the heart of Salerno’s historic center, within the ancient Church of San Gregorio on Via Mercanti, the Virtual Museum of the Salernitan Medical School was created to virtually revive the history, key figures, themes, and texts of the renowned Salernitan Medical School. Originally established in 1993 as the Didactic Museum of the Salernitan Medical School, the rapid advancement of technology soon rendered the initial equipment obsolete, prompting the need for a new interactive and multimedia exhibition layout. As a result, the museum underwent a significant transformation and, in December 2009, was officially renamed the Virtual Museum of the Salernitan Medical School by the Superintendency for Architectural and Landscape Heritage of Salerno and Avellino.

Through the use of multimedia and stereoscopic installations, visitors are guided along an interactive and immersive journey that features reconstructions of ancient medieval manuscripts, which visually support the accompanying explanations. The Virtual Museum is primarily a communication project aimed at presenting, in a divulgative manner, the history, main figures, and texts of the Salernitan Medical School by placing it within its historical and artistic context. It also includes in-depth paths integrated into a purpose-designed hypermedia system. A continuously expanding research station, complete with a virtual library and a rich bibliography, provides both visitors and scholars with extensive documentation and literature on the topics presented in the exhibition. The museum has been selected by the Italian Ministry of Culture as one of the venues to host a specially designed workstation for distance learning and accessibility for individuals with disabilities, as part of the CASSIO project.