Puglia: a sea of resources. From the UnderwaterMuse Project to the ESAC – Euromediterranean Seascapes Archeology Center

Half a century of uninterrupted underwater research, a continuous and passionate commitment is the record that Puglia can boast, which has culminated in national and international projects conducted by the Region’s universities; the coastal and underwater sites have been catalogued in the Regional Cultural Heritage GIS (SIRPaC, now CartApulia), an indispensable tool for the protection, planning and development of Puglia landscapes. The Puglia Region - Department of Tourism, Culture Economy and Community Development, in collaboration with the Universities and other local actors, has collected this precious legacy and in recent years has organised and promoted actions aimed at the knowledge, enhancement and accessibility of the underwater heritage, between wich exhibitions as well as regional and international projects, such as FISH.&C.H.I.P.S (Fisheries, Cultural Heritage, Identity and Participatory Societies, Interreg Italy-Greece Programme) e UnderwaterMuse (Immersive Underwater Museum Experience for a wider inclusion, Interreg Italy-Croatia Programme). The integration of all the initiatives and projects carried out has led to the creation of the Euro-Mediterranean Seascapes Archaeology Center - ESAC, whose areas of interest are research and cataloguing, conservation and restoration, training, dissemination and communication, international planning, promotion and use and, in general, the use of incentives in order to promote cultural policies for the underwater heritage and the blue economy. The governance process of the Centre is the fruit of an agreement between the Regional Department, the three Universities and the National Superintendency for the Underwater Cultural Heritage on a participatory process of knowledge and heritage enhancement through specific projects and concrete measures.