Five full days of activities — including lectures, guided tours, and hands-on workshops — marked the in-person study week of the Second-Level Master’s Program Methods, Tools, Technologies for the Analysis, Description, and Documentation of Ancient Manuscript and Printed Heritage. The program, held from 15 to 19 September 2025, is promoted by the LiBeR – Libro e Ricerca Laboratory of the Department of Humanities at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio.

After institutional greetings by Gianluca Lauta, Director of the Department of Humanities, and Nicola Tangari, Coordinator of the Master’s Program, the week opened with a lectio magistralis by Andrea De Pasquale, Director-General for Digitisation and Communication at the Italian Ministry of Culture. Introduced by Professor Marilena Maniaci, De Pasquale delivered a keynote titled “From Cards to the Showcase: History and Perspectives of Digitising Italy’s Cultural Heritage,” focusing on the evolution of the Ministry’s role in cataloguing and digitising library holdings. His address inaugurated a rich series of sessions dedicated to the history of the book and the technologies for its preservation and enhancement.

The mornings were devoted to activities at the Abbey of Montecassino: a visit to the Benedictine monastery, to its Archive — guided by the archivist, don Mariano Dell’Omo — and to its Library, presented by Dr Ylenia Nardone. Afternoon sessions offered lectures at the Department of Humanities by scholars such as Sebastiano Gentile on humanistic manuscripts, Marco Palma on the Bibliography of Manuscripts in Beneventan Script (BMB), Giulia Orofino on decorated codices, and Roberta Casavecchia on the study of biblical texts. During their visits to the Abbey Archive, students were able to examine the manuscripts directly, deepening the topics addressed in class by working with the original materials and gaining insight into the essential features of Cassinese book culture.

The mornings were devoted to activities at the Abbey of Montecassino: a visit to the Benedictine monastery, to its Archive — guided by the archivist, don Mariano Dell’Omo — and to its Library, presented by Dr Ylenia Nardone. Afternoon sessions offered lectures at the Department of Humanities by scholars such as Sebastiano Gentile on humanistic manuscripts, Marco Palma on the Bibliography of Manuscripts in Beneventan Script (BMB), Giulia Orofino on decorated codices, and Roberta Casavecchia on the study of biblical texts. During their visits to the Abbey Archive, students were able to examine the manuscripts directly, deepening the topics addressed in class by working with the original materials and gaining insight into the essential features of Cassinese book culture.

The week concluded with a workshop on the digitisation of ancient library materials at the Abbey Library, led by Fabio Brandi, Giuseppina Civitillo, and Ylenia Nardone. This practical session, in continuity with the Master’s teaching activities, offered participants the opportunity to engage with the most advanced techniques and standards for the preservation and enhancement of written heritage.

A valuable opportunity for training and intellectual exchange, where tradition and innovation intertwined to offer students and scholars the chance to explore firsthand the rich heritage of Montecassino and the most recent methods of its digital enhancement.