Tuscany Comes to Second Life on March 30

Fondazione Sistema Toscana, the official tourism foundation of Tuscany, Italy announced today: 

a new way of living Tuscany, of knowing its territory and beauties: Tuscany is now born on Second Life.

Count me in.

The construction is underway, with the official opening of Toscana Island slated for March 30.  A mixed reality evening is planned at the island's disco that night in which real world and virtual will be present to the other via video screens.

Toscana Island will recreate a public square for social gatherings with some of the most significant spots of the region:  the Tower of Pisa,  the Piazza del Campo and the Piazza Grande, the Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo in Florence.  There will be audio features for each monument, aimed at educating visitors about each one.   "One will have the feeling of plunging in an ideal city created around the most precious works of art of the ten Tuscan provinces."

A typical Tuscan village is promised with the hills, cypresses, vineyards and olive trees reminiscent of the Chianti region and the Sienese hills.

Italian commerce will be there as well.  The Intoscana store will allow residents to buy  real world Tuscan specialties while in world. 

Italy's film commission is partnering with the tourism foundation in this initiative. They have plans to collaborate with other Italian spaces in Second Life, such as Parioli (a personal SL favorite), in order to present and communicate the beauty and travel benefits of Tuscany.

Tourism  is a near ideal application for virtual social worlds like Second Life.  Galveston. Texas and Sweden's embassy are early entrants.  The visual and immersive characteristics are a perfect foil.  Especially when the space is staffed with avatar-puppets, as intoscana plans.   Many existing brand focus on events instead of sustained social connections.  Events can be an accelerator for communications in /with these spaces and are a key component, but what if MySpace were only "alive" between 7:00 and 9:00 twice a week?  Social worlds require social commitments.

Hopefully the famous embracing Italian hospitality will extend into the virtual world as well.

March 13, 2007

Comments

[Stephen]

The idea of a virtual Tuscany is certainly interesting. Amazing the way the online world is developing.