CANNOBIO.- «My name is Torre Vitaliana, erected among the waves of Verbano and baptized with the name of the ancient lineage. Ludovico Borromeo wanted me so tall, so that I might spread the glory of the Vitaliani, open to friends, but inaccessible to enemies.»

These words, carved on a plaque of Torre Vitaliana — one of the structures that make up the Castelli di Cannero on Lake Maggiore — are the starting point of Cannero Walking Tales, the open-air museum experience designed by Dotdotdot to fulfill the Borromeo family's desire to bring new life to the history of this fortress, abandoned for centuries and now the subject of an ambitious and courageous restoration and enhancement project overseen by architect Salvatore Simonetti.

The restoration of the Cannero fortress and the immersive experience conceived by Dotdotdot opened to the public June 28th, 2025, marking the official reopening of the site. Cannero Walking Tales unfolds through a smartphone-based audio guide, accessible via an app developed by the studio. Thanks to a beacon system, the narrative is delivered seamlessly, requiring no interaction—just like listening to an audiobook. The experience also features three physical installations that tell the story of the Castles through animated graphics and augmented reality, and a dedicated path for children with an interactive treasure hunt in search of the fortress herald.

«Cannero Walking Tales," explains Laura Dellamotta, co-founder of Dotdotdot, "is an immersive experiential journey with a narrative character that's engaging but not didactic. It stems from years of research into technology's potential to integrate narrative content within exhibition spaces and territories in a light, subtle, and non-invasive way. It's philological storytelling that respects History while also evoking human stories, anecdotes, and curiosities to make historical reconstruction accessible, inclusive, and engaging for a broad audience.»

In the case of Cannero Walking Tales, the museum experience literally gives voice to the ruins of the ancient fortress on Lake Maggiore: a narrator, accompanied by the voices of other protagonists and a custom-designed soundscape, manifests through a location-based audio guide, a series of installations (some using augmented reality), and an interactive game designed for children.

«Walking Tales respects the expressive power of the ruins," continues Laura Dellamotta. "Just as the restoration overseen by architect Salvatore Simonetti, interpreting the Borromeo family's wishes, chose not to alter the nature of the Castelli di Cannero, the technological intervention is also discreet: designed to enhance the memory of the place without overwhelming it, integrating poetically with what already exists.»

The Audio Guide

The narration is entrusted directly to the Castles, which become the narrator and reveal themselves to visitors.

Thanks to a beacon system, the guide's audio content activates automatically during the walk, requiring no interaction, transforming the visit into an audiobook that unfolds step by step. The tone is evocative and suggestive, inspired by the Torre Vitaliana inscription, with stories of anecdotes, battles, and historical figures reimagined in poetic form.

The route starts from the dock and touches the fortress's most significant locations: from the Entrance Courtyard to Corte Vitaliana, passing through the Guard Room, the sonorized walkways, the Armory, the Keep, Torre del Belvedere, Corte Malpaga, and the Countess's Hall. At various points, visitors can explore content in greater depth by bringing their phone close to illustrated tags.

Installations and Augmented Reality

There are three main physical touchpoints along the route:

• The first magic mirror (Corte Vitaliana): displays looped animated videos illustrating the construction and decay phases of the Castles.

• Multi-projections in the Keep: across two levels, they tell three iconic episodes from the Castles' history—the 1523 siege by the Sforza, daily life of soldiers in 1550 through a letter from Antonio Locadello to Corona Borromeo, and the transformation of the Castles into a clandestine mint in 1645 with Bartolomeo Guizzetti. Audio is synchronized in real-time with the language chosen on the app (Italian, English, French, German).

• The second magic mirror (Countess's Hall): narrates the story of Borromeo heraldic symbols, starting from the illustrated elements of the fortress's only decorated room, leading to the appearance of the coat of arms and its emblems: the camel (Rocca di Angera), the unicorn (Isola Bella), the cedar (Isola Madre), and the horse's bit (Castelli di Cannero).

In Corte Vitaliana and the Armory, augmented reality allows visitors to activate in-depth content that appears as animated two-color illustrations overlaying the ruins. These aren't philological reconstructions, but rather poetic evocations designed to respect the spirit of the restoration and stimulate visitors' imagination, just like listening to an audiobook.

The Children's Experience: Heraldry Game

The audio guide also includes a section designed for children: Heraldry Game. In peacetime, the Castles have lost their herald, broken apart and hidden by an old castellan to protect its power.

Pirates are approaching, and only by reassembling the coat of arms can the lake be saved. It's an interactive treasure hunt based on the same beacon system: children must search for coat of arms pieces—3D printed and cast in ceramic by Dotdotdot—following a rhyming verse that provides poetic clues and playful quizzes.