From the Grand Tour to Contemporary Musical Cultural Routes in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and the diffusion of Technologies: The Role of the Music-Place Relationship

We are currently living in a historical era marked by reflections – among many others – on the role of “intellect and spirit in the age of AI and the metaverse” (Giaccardi, Magatti, 2024). This is a “time” in which new conceptual and representational models have either already become established or are in the process of doing so – such as visual thinking (Huddle, 2024; Bergamo, 2021), virtual environments (Diodato, 2005), extended reality (XR), and artificial intelligence (AI) (Beccalli, 2024, p. 69); the latter characterized also by the logic of “algorithmic governability” (ibidem, p. 95). In this scenario, a fundamental question emerges: is it still possible to enhance sites and musical cultural heritage through the use of cultural itineraries, as once occurred with the experiences of young European nobles during the Grand Tour? And if so, how might these itineraries be adapted to the logic of digital engagement and AI-driven mediation?