HR
Contact 
Address book 
Project name: DIGITsmart
Total project budget: €249,850.00
Total city of Kaštela: €98,430.00
Amount of co-financing (80%): €78,744.00
Own funds (20%): €19,686.00
Project implementation period: 01.08.2023. – 31.12.2024. Mr.
Leading partner: CITY OF KAŠTELA
Project partners:
ROMAGNA TECH SOCIETÀ CONSORTILE PER AZIONI (IT)
FONDAZIONE “GIUSEPPE DI VAGNO (1889 – 1921)” (IT)
Project description:
Within the framework of priority axis 5 “Integrated governance for stronger cooperation”, the Small-scale project DIGITsmart was approved, applied for the 1st call within the cross-border cooperation program Interreg Italy – Croatia 2021 – 2027.
The project will develop a user-friendly technical platform and digitize archival material to make it easily accessible to all target groups of this project and beyond. As part of the project, a new interactive website of the city will be created, through which it will be easier to download and submit part of the forms, requests, etc., and the database of archival materials will be supplemented and improved in order to reduce the time needed to process old items (eg old building permits).
The City of Kaštela, as the Lead Partner, will manage the project partnership at the partnership level and will coordinate the work of all project partners. The Lead Partner will be responsible for the overall coordination, implementation and financial management of the project. The City of Kaštela will be the link between the Programme body and the project partners, coordinating the start, implementation and completion of the project.
“The content of the publication is the sole responsibility of the City of Kaštela”
ABOUT THE GIUSEPPE DI VAGNO FOUNDATION
The Di Vagno Foundation, named after the first socialist representative in the National Parliament who fell victim to fascist violence in 1921, has been dedicated to historical research and cultural promotion since 2003. Located in Conversano (Puglia, Italy), inside the ancient monastery of San Benedetto, the Foundation organizes historical and documentary exhibitions and promotes conferences dedicated to historical research. Over the years, it has developed a significant historical archive that preserves more than 60 paper, photographic and audiovisual collections of important figures from the political and cultural spheres of Puglia and beyond. The Foundation not only preserves these materials, but also aims to promote them as links between the past and the future, encouraging active citizenship.
The Foundation’s library has developed into a vibrant community space and was officially designated as a community library on 1 June 2021. Following renovations, it now offers comprehensive services and contains approximately 25,000 volumes, 2,000 DVDs, 4,000 CDs and 1,000 VHS tapes and vinyl records. Focusing on contemporary history, the library is continuously updated. In addition, the Foundation hosts Lectorinfabula every year, an international festival of European culture that has attracted leading national and international figures from the political, cultural and media sectors.
DIGITIZATION ACTIVITIES
The Foundation, a partner of the DIGITsmart project, owns an extensive archive photography collection of around 10,000 items. This collection includes significant contributions from prominent photographers, who are major figures in the political and cultural landscape of Puglia. Thanks to the DIGITsmart project, about 8,000 photos were digitized, which preserved the physical integrity of these valuable documents and reduced wear and tear from handling and consultation. Among them the Tommaso Sicolo collection (about 1,000 positives, 1960-1980s, political and labor involvement), the Luigi Sacchetti collection (350 positives, 1940-1970s, labor involvement), the Imbimbo and Impagnatiello collections (190 positives, 1960s, political engagement), the Giuseppe Patrono Collection (526 positives, 1930-1980, political and cultural engagement), Aldo Baldi collection (140 positives, 1920-1950, political engagement), Leonardo Damiani collection (240 positives, 1915-1918, war front). Finally, Rocco Errico’s archive has been fully reproduced. It consists of 6000 negatives, black and white and in color, scanned and restored with professional materials for optimal preservation. Part of the digitized material was used to organize the exhibition “Lens Rocca Errico: An Interactive Experience”, curated by Jacopo De Benedictis, which was held during the 20th edition of the Lectorinfabula festival, from 19 to 25 September 2024 in Conversano.
In addition, the Foundation has upgraded its archival platform (fondazionedivagono.archiui.com) to specifically present its photographic heritage. This improved platform allows users to navigate the collection through chronological and thematic filters and includes relational maps that provide graphic narrative paths, greatly improving user interaction and engagement with the archives. This improvement also ensures accessibility for future generations.
The main activities and objectives of the DIGITsmart project related to digitization are:
Development of a user-oriented technical platform: The project developed a platform that enabled the digitization of archival materials.
Improvement of the database of archival materials: The existing archival materials database was supplemented and improved in order to shorten the processing time of old items, such as building permits.
All of the above activities contribute to the digitization of services and archival materials of the City of Kaštela, making them more accessible and efficient.
More information can be found at:
The photo archives digitized by DIGITsmart are as follows:
Rocco Errico
Tommaso Sicolo
Luigi Sacchetti
Salvatore Imbimbo
Matteo Impagnatiello
Giuseppe Patrono
Aldo Baldi
Leonardo Damiani
https://fondazionedivagno.archiui.com/esplora
