The #iziTRAVELSicilia participatory project and co-production of contemporary art audioguides

his paper addresses participatory strategies and the co-production of museum and city audio guides through izi.TRAVEL, a free digital storytelling platform and app. This article explores contemporary art audio guides, which have been part of a large-scale regional project launched as #iziTRAVELSicilia in May 2016. The primary aims for the project were to bridge the digital communication gap, and to enhance Sicilian cultural heritage. #iziTRAVELSicilia soon transformed into a participatory process, involving about 4,000 native Sicilians. Since then, more than 240 audio guides have been created, some of which focus on modern and contemporary art, and some have focused on enhancing the Belice Valley area, destroyed by the 1968 earthquake. As demonstrated by this pilot program in Sicily, izi.TRAVEL could encourage tourists to enjoy cities, landscapes, and cultural resources, becoming an innovative tool for stimulating emotional and creative involvement of people in the co-creation of museum and art-based app content.