"Project Cottontails" is an interactive narrative adventure in the Manduria Civic Museum. Step into the shoes of Alessio, explore the museum, interact with characters and objects to piece together the story of your ancestor, a famous Allied aviator in World War II.
Project Cottontails is a short interactive story set inside the Civic Museum of Manduria. You play as Alessio, a thoughtful young man exploring a faithfully recreated 3D version of the museum, where forgotten fragments of his grandfather’s past — a former Allied pilot in World War II — begin to surface.
This isn’t a gameplay-heavy title, nor a long adventure packed with challenges. It’s something smaller, more personal. A first step in blending technology, storytelling, and historical memory. It lasts about twenty minutes — just enough, we hope, to leave a quiet impression. The story is simple and subdued, designed to stir emotion without relying on spectacle.
One of the core goals of the project is to preserve and share a real cultural site, offering virtual access to a piece of history that many might never be able to visit in person. In this sense, Project Cottontails is also an experiment in digital preservation — a way to open the doors of local heritage to a wider world.
This is just the beginning. The project is intentionally minimal, but built with the idea of growing over time — with new content, deeper historical layers, and new places to explore.
If you decide to take this short journey, thank you. We hope it leaves you with something — and maybe, in time, it can become something more.