For a Cultural-based Smart City

The spread and development of ICT makes it possible the pervasive and ubiquitous transmission of information, favouring an interrelation between information and environment. The paper presents a methodological reflection aimed at overcoming the traditionally static approach focused on infrastructural networks, at the centre of smart cities' thinking, towards a cultural vision of smart city, where ICT can favour the transition from "smart cities" to " smart places ", also through participatory applications. In particular, the work deals with problems caused by a historicized urban context, where places and historical buildings highlight issues related to the interconnection between virtual environments and physical reality (smart cultural heritage).