Technological advances in the digital camera industry and computing resources make the use of photogrammetry a very fast, low-cost, contactless and non-destructive technique. It can represent a good alternative to obtain 3D information for monitoring and conservation of cultural heritage assets, especially where it is not possible to use 3D laser scanners and also in situations where areas to be inspected are not easily accessible [1]. Resolution generally depends on the number of images, their quality and the level of overlap between them, as well as hardware and software capabilities. Starting from 2D aerial or terrestrial photographic images, photogrammetry allows to reconstruct a 3D model in the form of a "point cloud" and also to derive accurate 3D measurements of large architectural elements.This paper is about stereo-photogrammetric scanning by drone performed by MENCI software s.r.l. aimed at the definition of the state of conservation of the “Bridge of the Towers” in Spoleto and its long term preservation without building scaffoldings. It was performed within the RoMA (Resilience enhancement of a Metropolitan Area) project, through an agreement between the “Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development” (ENEA) and the “Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities” (MIBACT).Photogrammetric scanning and FE modelling were applied within the project together with many other monitoring techniques in order to assess the bridge cracks pattern and its structural health by a multidisciplinary approach that allows their mutual validation [2].As one of the most important problems in the use of photogrammetric 3D reconstruction is the considerable demand in terms of hardware and software resources for images processing and data storage, thanks to the HPC (High Performance Computing) resources provided by the CRESCO infrastructure (Research Computational Centre on Complex Systems), it was possible to analyse and process a large amount of high-resolution photos in order to detect the crack pattern and to assess the actual damage state to be monitored over time [3].

This study was carried out within the project “Roma Hispana. Nuevas tecnologías aplicadas al estudio histórico, la musealización y la puesta en valor de Patrimonio Cultural español en Roma: la spezieria di Santa Maria della Scala” (Universitat de València Spain), which is funded by the Conselleria d’Innovació, Universitats, Ciència i Societat Digital of the Generalitat Valenciana (2020–2021) and authorized by the Sovrintendenza Speciale Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio (Special Superintendence of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape) of Rome, Italy. The spezieria di Santa Maria della Scala was the oldest apothecary in Europe managed by the order of Discalced Carmelite friars. Operating between the second half of the seventeenth century and the mid-twentieth century, over time it acquired great prestige, becoming known as the Pharmacy of the Popes. The aims of the “Roma Hispana” project are to study, musealize and disseminate the material and immaterial cultural heritage of this historical spezieria by combining physicochemical and cultural studies, new 3D technologies, and artificial intelligence. As a case study, in this paper we report the application of a laser scanner prototype for 3D color imaging of the spezieria’s sales room and use a simpler photogrammetry method to collect analogous data in the small nearby storeroom coupled to the high-power capabilities of the ENEA parallel computer facility. Digital data were collected to enable a virtual tour that provides a fully navigable, faithful, high-resolution 3D color model to render this ancient Roman apothecary accessible and usable to interested members of the public and experts in the sector (art historians, restorers, etc.). We also describe the 3D technology used to obtain three-dimensional images of the cultural assets of these spaces (mostly drug containers) and its results. The ultimate aim of this study is to achieve the virtual musealization of the heritage complex.