For the last few months, the Portuguese iHERITAGE team from the University of Algarve has been introducing the digital routes of intangible heritage of the Algarve in the iHERITAGE Portugal mobile application.

For the time being, there are three available routes with several interest points that navigate through the religious practices, myths, traditions, artistic and cultural manifestations, or even medicine and gastronomy of the Algarvian region.

The first route follows a general supported thought of sustainability of knowledge and practices, the universal recognition and diversity of regional customs through Algarve's already identified intangible cultural heritage. The second route entails a more specific point of view, namely, the Mediterranean Diet, focused mainly on the production and consumption of olive oil in the municipality of Tavira – the recipes, the flavors, the history, and the places that mark the journey of this natural juice, present on every table. The third route tracks geology and biology as the primary focus; a dive into an ancient sea of 150 million years to discover the mysterious and extraordinary beings that lived in the Algarvian Barrocal.

The transcultural subjects such as sustainability and heritage will be featured and recognizable through unique stories of local communities, the history of olive oil, and how urban areas highlight the Mediterranean Diet in contemporary issues while diving into a natural science background.

The methodological approach is developed through the analysis and interpretation of a detailed list of references, fieldwork in a plurality of sites, contextual inquiries, and non-structural interviews, as well as with the help of fellow researchers and enterprises within the field of tourism, science, and culture. Although still at a very early stage, Local Supporting Groups and Training Sessions are being scheduled to promote the iHERITAGE app, and sub-sequential content for Augmented Brochures is currently progressing towards a public and collective audience.

The iHERITAGE project aims to support the technology transfer and commercialization of new Augmented and Virtual Reality tools to enhance access to Mediterranean UNESCO cultural heritage through augmented and immersive experiences by creating cross-border living labs for research and innovation.

Download and try it out today on IOS and Android!

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Represented by the University of Algarve, the focus of the Portuguese team is to promote the Mediterranean Diet and its importance for the cultural identity of the Mediterranean. The iHERITAGE ICT Mediterranean platform for UNESCO world heritage is a strategic project funded by the EU through the ENI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme.