Google Is Offering You The Best Virtual Experience Of Malta’s Touristic Hotspots
This week’s long-awaited arrival of Google Street View in Malta was met with resounding positive feedback (and some well-spotted hilarious only-in-Malta moments). But it wasn’t the only cool thing Malta got courtesy of the tech giants.
Google Arts and Culture, which lets users explore the stories (and sights) of all the world’s different cultures, has now added a whole section on Malta, aptly called Wonders Of Malta. In collaboration with Heritage Malta and 26 others partners from all over the islands, Wonders of Malta offers walkthroughs of dozens of Maltese museums, offering what HM described as “an unprecedented, immersive discovery experience of the diversity of Maltese culture.”
Google’s 360 degree, interior version of Street View is available for a staggering 78 different museums around the archipelago, which includes anything from the Ġgantija Temples and Għar Dalam to Fort St. Elmo and Ta’ Kola Windmill. And seeing as we’ve got the oldest free-standing monuments in the world, along with one of the longest and most turbulent histories ever, we’d say it’s a very merited addition.
You might be tempted into spending the rest of the day going on virtual tours of Malta’s museums, but there’s even more to see! Tapestries from the Palace State Rooms and frescoes from the Auberge de Provence Grand Salon were photographed with Google’s new Gigapixel technology, and yes, that means what you think it does; extremely high definition photos, the highest ever, to be able to literally see each individual stroke or weave of these masterpieces.
Wonders Of Malta also features over 30 interactive stories about pivotal moments in Malta’s history (like a detailed retelling of the Great Siege of 1565) and 28 ‘cardboard tours’, which make use of Google’s cheap yet amazing Google Cardboard VR technology.
This new initiative was launch last Thursday night at the Mediterranean Conference Centre during the EPO Digital Assembly by Culture Minister Owen Bonnici and Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation Silvio Schembri.
Image from tvm.com.mt
The online exhibition is now online for free and can also be accessed via the new Google Arts & Culture mobile app on both iOS and Android devices.