Ontology-based Thematic Framing of Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage

The digitization of cultural heritage demands advanced methods for structuring and managing knowledge. Semantic web technologies and ontologies provide a powerful framework for intelligent reasoning, interoperability, and personalized content generation. This work explores how ontology-based models and semantic reasoning can drive innovative solutions for cultural heritage engagement, enabling dynamic, context-aware, and personalized information delivery. Specifically, this paper presents an ontology-driven approach to the thematic characterization of cultural heritage knowledge. We aim at realizing an intelligent assistant, called HerMeS, that leverages semantic reasoning and contextual temporal planning to generate adaptive cultural itineraries, enhancing user engagement with historical and artistic assets. Unlike conventional recommendation systems, our approach integrates knowledge representation techniques for context-aware and thematic reasoning. Here, we discuss the ontology model, its integration with Artificial Intelligence planning, and its role in enabling personalized and interpretable cultural experiences, contributing to scalable and sustainable digital heritage solutions. The work is developed within a research collaborative project between the National Research Council of Italy and La Sapienza University.