From Venice to Palermo, passing through Siena and Rome, Google’s Grand Tour of Italy is a journey through remarkable cultural treasures. Relive timeless traditions, marvel at masterpieces while discovering ideas that influenced and transformed the world.

Available to everyone on the Google Arts & Culture platform, Grand Tour of Italy was brought to life using Google technology together with commentary from cultural partner institutions of the Google Cultural Institute including the Youth Committee of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO, the Civic Museums Foundation of Venice, the Academy of Fisiocritici, the Consortium for the Protection of the Palio of Siena, Outdoor Project and Teatro Massimo of Palermo.

In Venice, the virtual journey became a real experience at the Tesa 94 space, part of the Venetian Arsenal, with installations and Google technology. The building opened its doors to everyone to discover the fascinating Grand Tour stories and celebrate the city’s treasures in a new way.

Installations featured the works of Canaletto, photographed at dramatic resolution with the Art Camera and projected full-screen on the walls of Tesa 94. Audiences explored the history of Galileo, leaping into space thanks to Google Earth VR. With the help of Daydream View, visitors relived the history and origins of the Redeemer’s Festival and its spectacular fireworks in 360° videos. Audiences unleased their imagination with Tilt Brush, reinterpreting the architectural accomplishments of Venice – or enjoying works created by visitors in stunning virtual reality.

Working closely with Google, AKQA developed the concept and experience, collaborating with Venticento for the physical installations.