The Parco Archeologico Sommerso di Baia hosted the first operational test in a real environment of NERITES, a European project funded by Horizon Europe to improve monitoring of submerged archaeological heritage and its state of conservation.
The pilot campaign took place from 31 August to 5 September 2026 at the Villa dei Pisoni. According to Italy's National Research Council and project sources, the test brought together robotics, imaging, photogrammetry, sensing, autonomous navigation and remote communication in a single system designed for underwater cultural heritage.
What was tested in Baia
The trials covered autonomous navigation, mission planning, path tracking, precision positioning, and the acquisition of images and three-dimensional data. These functions are central to the project goal: making monitoring of submerged heritage more systematic, remote, non-destructive and comparable over time.
The system tested in Baia included an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, a docking station, a surface buoy and a Remote Monitoring and Command Centre. Project and institutional sources also confirm that LIBS sensors, for laser-induced plasma spectroscopy, and QCL sensors, based on quantum cascade lasers, were tested during the campaign.
The work involved the Soprintendenza Nazionale per il Patrimonio Culturale Subacqueo, the Parco Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei, the Coast Guard and local diving support operators.
The European project behind the test
NERITES is a Horizon Europe project with Grant Agreement 101132575. It started on 1 January 2024 and ends on 31 December 2026, with a declared total cost of 3,994,750 euros.
The Baia campaign was described as the first field test of the integrated infrastructure. In practice, the setup links the underwater vehicle, the docking station and the surface buoy, with missions covering autonomous navigation, precision positioning and 3D survey, while a remote centre supports control and analysis of the acquired data.
What is not yet known
The available documentation describes the first field test but does not yet provide conclusive quantitative results on sensor accuracy or on the ability to track deterioration over the long term.
It is also not clarified whether or when the system will be adopted for routine monitoring of the Submerged Park of Baia after the project ends. The sources do not report a complete comparison between the operating costs of NERITES and those of traditional campaigns with direct diver intervention.
