Urban reconfigurations in Santa Maria Capua Vetere: connections between ancient and contemporary city. The case study of the anamorphic installation for the Catabulum

The enhancement archaeological heritage involves attributing meaning to material evidence and promoting the reappropriation of historical identity in the contemporary city. However, traces of the past are often obscured by centuries of urban transformation, rendering them invisible to everyday perception and hindering their integration into collective memory. Santa Maria Capua Vetere, built on the ruins of ancient Capua, is a prime example of this condition. The design strategy adopted an integrated approach, combining interventions on the urban fabric with representation techniques and digital technologies to optimise heritage communication and generate educational narrative paths through images and visual concepts. Phygital paths, hybrid physical–digital systems, can be translated into site-specific installations for the contemporary city. The anamorphic installation case study for the Catabulum demonstrates how three-dimensional models can be used to create perspective illusions that restore the visibility of Roman remains embedded in the urban fabric. Keywords: Santa Maria Capua Vetere, archaeological heritage, phygital, narrative paths, anamorphosis