Paul KeenanItaly – Internet giant Google has added two famed Roman catacombs to its Maps search facility, allowing viewers to see the sites in high definition for the first time.
Following a major photographic project, the Catacombs of Priscilla and the Dino Companion can now be ‘visited virtually’, with users of Google Maps enabled to move through the subterranean corridors and gain close-up views of features, including surviving frescos.
The project is part of Google’s plan to map and digitise the world’s cultural heritage, a project which, in Italy will now see the books of the major libraries of Rome, Naples and Florence scanned and the physical buildings fully mapped for internet visitors.