ITALY ESCAPE GUIDED TOURS

Turn your destination into an experience to be lived

Every city, every town, every village and every destination has a story to tell.
We turn that story into an experience that in spires people to discover it.

How can a destination become more attractive, especially to visitors looking for new and engaging experiences?

How can visitors be encouraged to discover not only the best-known attractions, but also monuments, museums, squares, traditions and hidden corners that often remain outside the main tourist routes?

And how can all this be achieved through a tool that combines culture, technology and entertainment?

These questions inspired ITALY ESCAPE GUIDED TOURS, a tourism development project created by Unconventional Rome Tours – I Viaggi di Adriano to transform cities, towns, villages and destinations into immersive, open-air interactive experiences.

A NEW TOOL FOR DESTINATION ENHANCEMENT

Imagine visiting your destination by stepping directly into a story.

Visitors are given a mission. They follow a route, reach monuments and places of interest, observe their surroundings, solve riddles and, stage by stage, discover the history and identity of the destination.

The destination itself becomes the game.

A historic building can hide a clue.
A square can contain the solution to a riddle.
A historical figure can become a character in the story.
A museum can become the final destination of the mission.

The result is a gamified cultural itinerary, accessible via smartphone and specifically designed around the heritage that the local authority wishes to promote and enhance.

WE DON'T ADAPT THE GAME TO THE DESTINATION.

WE BUILD THE GAME AROUND THE DESTINATION.

Every project begins with an in-depth study of the destination.

Together with the local authority, we identify the objectives of the project, the places to include along the route and the distinctive elements of local identity that deserve to be brought to life.

Our team then researches local history, monuments, historical figures, traditions and legends, transforming them into an original storyline.

The experience might become an investigation set in the Middle Ages, a mystery involving a real historical figure, an archaeological mission, a forgotten legend waiting to be rediscovered or a journey through time.

Every riddle is designed around real places.

To find the solution, visitors may have to examine a building façade, identify a symbol, reach a particular square, interpret an inscription or discover a hidden detail of the local heritage.

Playing becomes a way of discovering and learning.

GUIDE VISITORS TOWARDS THE PLACES YOU WANT THEM TO DISCOVER

One of the most valuable features of the project for a destination is the opportunity to design the itinerary with visitor flows in mind.

The experience does not need to focus exclusively on places that already attract large numbers of visitors.

On the contrary, the storyline can provide a compelling reason to discover:

• a lesser-known museum;
• a monument outside the traditional tourist routes;
• a neighbourhood, district or village that deserves greater visibility;
• an archaeological site;
• a historic workshop;
• a panoramic viewpoint;
• a place connected to local traditions;
• a cultural or local activity that represents the identity of the destination.

We can even design the mission so that its final solution leads visitors directly to the place the local authority most wants to promote.

The game therefore becomes a tool for creating new itineraries and encouraging a broader distribution of visitors throughout the destination.

AN EXPERIENCE THAT ALSO TELLS THE STORY

ITALY ESCAPE GUIDED TOURS is not designed to replace traditional guided tours.

Quite the opposite.

The project comes from the experience of a tour operator specialising in the creation of cultural tours and experiences.

For this reason, cultural interpretation and storytelling are integral parts of the project.

As visitors reach the different game stations, the app can provide access to historical content, fascinating facts, images and short video guides, specifically created to explain the places they are exploring.

Participants therefore do not simply reach a monument to obtain their next clue.

They are encouraged to look at it, understand it and interact with it.

Technology becomes a way to bring people closer to culture, rather than replacing it.

FROM A DIGITAL ITINERARY TO AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

The project can be developed at different levels of complexity.

The fully digital version can be enhanced with physical elements and live interactions: actors portraying historical characters, local guides, maps, books, cryptexes, secret boxes, objects to discover and challenges to overcome.

The same itinerary can also be adapted for schools, organised groups, corporate events, incentive programmes and team-building activities, expanding the ways in which the destination and its cultural heritage can be experienced.

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE LOCAL ECONOMY

Enhancing a destination also means supporting the people and businesses that bring it to life.

When appropriate, the itinerary can therefore involve museums, cultural organisations, local producers, artisans, shops and other local businesses.

A stage can lead visitors to a historic workshop.
A riddle can tell the story of a traditional local product.
A mission can end inside a museum.
A challenge can be linked to a local tradition.

In this way, the experience can help connect the destination's historical and cultural heritage with its local economy.

HOW YOUR DESTINATION'S ESCAPE TOUR IS CREATED

We start by listening.

The local authority tells us what it wants to enhance and the objectives it wishes to achieve.

That is where our work begins.

We study the destination and design the itinerary.

We create the storyline.

We write the riddles and interactions.

We produce the cultural and multimedia content.

We integrate the experience into the ITALY ESCAPE GUIDED TOURS platform.

The result is a custom-designed digital tourism product, created specifically for the destination and accessible to visitors through their smartphones.

A typical experience may last approximately two hours and include five or more places of interest. However, duration, number of stages, level of difficulty, target audience and available languages are defined individually for each project.

NO TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO MANAGE

The local authority does not need to develop its own app, purchase servers or manage a dedicated IT infrastructure.

The itinerary is hosted within the ITALY ESCAPE GUIDED TOURS platform, while we take care of the technological management of the digital experience.

The project can also evolve over time, with existing experiences being updated or expanded and new itineraries being added.

A single destination could therefore offer, for example, a historical route, a family experience, an archaeological adventure, a food and wine itinerary or an experience connected to a particular event or season.

FROM CREATION TO PROMOTION

Creating a tourism product is only the first step.

People need to know it exists.

For this reason, the project can also be supported by digital communication and marketing activities designed to introduce the experience to potential visitors and turn it into an additional reason to choose the destination.

ITALY ESCAPE GUIDED TOURS can therefore become more than just a different way to explore a place.

It can become a new way to communicate, promote and position the destination itself.

YOUR DESTINATION ALREADY HAS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT: ITS STORY.

We build an experience around it.

An experience that encourages visitors to walk, observe, play, learn and discover.

Because today, promoting a destination is not simply about showing people what it has to offer.

It is about giving them a reason to come and experience it for themselves.

ITALY ESCAPE GUIDED TOURS

We turn your destination into a story to be lived.

Share your story. Bring it to life.