YOU ARE MATILDE DI CANOSSASCENARIO

After the success of You Are Leo, the Virtual Tour dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci who in 2019 involved in Milan as well 40.000 people, Way Experience - the media company among the leaders in Italy of Virtual Reality projects in the cultural tourism sector - presents, starting from 27 May 2022, a new exciting project between real and virtual, dedicated to another great character of Italian medieval history: Matilda of Canossa.You Are Matilde di Canossa, made with the sponsored by the Municipality of Canossa, is a new guided tour between Virtual Reality and live experience to experience first hand the story of Matilde di Canossa, the oldest modern woman, but also to discover places rich in history and tradition such as the territories of the Terre di Canossa and the Matildic fortifications of the Val d’Enza. A technological-immersive project, cultural but also touristic, aimed at a transversal audience, an experience that combines history, emozione, travel through time and space. Why Matilde?"You Are Matilde di Canossa" is part of an era of important cultural and social changes, aimed at promoting true gender equality and highlighting the stories of women who have changed the course of history. Matilde di Canossa is the first example in the history of a "woman of power". It was in fact a powerful feudal lord who came to dominate all the Italic territories north of the Papal State. Under his command, the dominion of the Canossa family reached its maximum extension. In a difficult time, characterized by continuous wars, battles and intrigues, Matilde showed an innate aptitude for leadership. It seems that on the occasion of the war against Emperor Henry IV, in fact, that the Grand Countess had participated in the first person, with a handful of chosen and loyal warriors, to battle. This is how the image of the warrior Matilde takes shape, who was taking lessons in military strategy and command from Goffredo (his stepfather), who knew how to ride and was able to use weapons.The Contessa's troubled biographical story goes far beyond the stereotype of the woman of power: the figure of Matilde is characterized by a personality destined to defy conventions, prejudices and to change the course of history. The charisma of a woman who, in the heart of the Middle Ages, she embodied the feminine in an emblematic way and made her the oldest modern woman in our eyes. To interpret the voice of the oldest modern woman is Barbara Alberti, scrittrice, sceneggiatrice, drammaturga, journalist, columnist, television personality, Italian actress and radio host.

Through Virtual Reality, visitors will be able to take on the role of Matilde and experience some of the crucial moments of her life. The Castle of Canossa, in the Reggio Emilia Apennines, it is the physical place, reale, from which Way started creating a layer virtual that allows visitors to immerse themselves in its history and its territories through a path that includes two different tours: for individual participants in Canossa and for groups organized throughout the Val d’Enza area. I individual participants they will be accompanied by a royal guide on a tour that includes a walk around the Castle of Canossa with 4 virtual stages. All participants will be equipped with a Virtual Reality viewer and in some places they will be invited to wear the viewer to live immersive experiences in the 11th century and to enjoy the story made by Matilda herself of her time. The tour will have a total duration of approx 1 ora e 30 minutes.For i gruppi, the tour will instead cross the territory of Val d’Enza telling its strategic importance and its history through the figure of Matilde di Canossa in 2 physical stages (Rossenella Tower and Canossa Castle) and 5 virtual stages. The tour will have a total duration of approx 2 ore e 30 minutes. The stagesThe first step of the VR tour puts the visitor in direct contact with Matilde, it tells of his personality and his most intimate face. In this first scene she will be herself, through the voice of Barbara Alberti, to tell about his life, his childhood, the death of the father, of the brothers, loneliness in Germany and the relationship with his cousin Henry IV second scene it is a journey through time and space: we go back to the time of Matilda to discover the Terre dei Canossa, of its castles and the battles that she herself fought in that territory, in particular the Battle of the Fog. In third stage the participants, step into the role of the protagonist, they experience firsthand the historical story of Henry IV's repentance and humiliation before Pope Gregory VII. The fourth content presents a larger virtual tour of Canossa Castle and its evolution over time, thanks to three 3D reconstructions. Groups will be able to experience a fifth exclusive content: a 360 ° virtual journey to discover the most evocative Matildic places of Val D’Enza. The reconstructions of the territory and of the Castle were possible thanks to the careful philological research of the Italian Institute of Castles – Emilia Romagna section. We also thank Donatella Jager Bedogni for the fundamental support to the scientific and historical content of the narration.