Arc-Team Ltd.

Arc-Team Ltd. is a private Italian company specialising in cultural heritage services, headquartered in Cles, in the Trentino/South-Tyrol region of northern Italy. Founded in 2005 by Alessandro Bezzi, Luca Bezzi and Rupert Gietl, the firm describes archaeology as its vocation and operates worldwide, combining traditional field archaeology with digital documentation and free and open-source technologies. The company's service portfolio covers excavation, 3D documentation, aerial photography and video, archive research, surveying, geophysical survey, 3D modelling, underwater archaeology, speleoarchaeology, glacial archaeology and exhibition support. This breadth reflects a deliberate positioning at the intersection of archaeological practice and digital innovation: Arc-Team promotes open-source and open-data solutions as core tools for research, teaching and heritage management. Arc-Team is led by its three senior partners, all of whom hold master's degrees in archaeology from European universities and remain active in fieldwork, research and technology development. Alessandro Bezzi focuses on field archaeology, excavations, digital documentation methods, photogrammetry and GIS, geophysical survey, free and open-source applications in archaeology, and aerial drones. Luca Bezzi specialises in prehistoric and protohistoric archaeology, underwater archaeology, open hardware, aerial drones, 3D modelling and digital documentation. Rupert Gietl works on Alpine archaeology, conflict archaeology, aerial drones, remote sensing and digital documentation. External consultants have also contributed to the firm over the years. Because it is a private limited company rather than a listed corporation, Arc-Team does not publish financial statements or stock information. Its visibility comes primarily through project work, training activities and its official website, which showcases services, team members and a gallery of field and digital documentation projects. The company's stated strengths include what it calls the best archaeological equipment, twenty years of field experience, and professional and reliable employees. Arc-Team's identity is closely tied to the open-source movement in archaeology. By developing and applying free and open-source software and hardware, the firm positions itself as a bridge between academic archaeology, heritage institutions and the wider open-knowledge community. Its work spans Alpine and glacial contexts, underwater sites, speleological environments and conventional excavations, often in collaboration with universities, museums and heritage authorities across Europe and beyond.

Arc-Team Ltd. was founded in 2005 by Alessandro Bezzi, Luca Bezzi and Rupert Gietl, three archaeologists who had studied at the University of Padua in Italy, the University of Vienna in Austria and the University of Mainz in Germany. From its base in Cles, in the Trentino/South-Tyrol region of northern Italy, the company set out to combine rigorous field archaeology with digital documentation methods and free and open-source software and hardware. In its early years, Arc-Team built a reputation for applying emerging digital techniques — photogrammetry, GIS, geophysical survey and later drone-based aerial documentation — to archaeological projects. The three co-founders brought complementary specialisations: Alessandro Bezzi in field archaeology, excavations, digital documentation and geophysical survey; Luca Bezzi in prehistoric and protohistoric archaeology, underwater archaeology, open hardware and 3D modelling; and Rupert Gietl in Alpine and conflict archaeology, remote sensing and aerial drones. By 2012 the company had grown enough to bring in external expertise, and Giuseppe Naponiello, a medieval archaeologist trained at the University of Pisa, joined as an external consultant that year. He contributed skills in physical anthropology, source code development, WebGIS and database management systems, and remained with Arc-Team until 2024. Over two decades, Arc-Team expanded its service range to cover excavation, 3D documentation, aerial photo and video, archive research, surveying, free and open-source solutions, underwater archaeology, geophysical survey, 3D modelling, speleoarchaeology, glacial archaeology and exhibition support. The company describes itself as working worldwide in cultural heritage, exploring, researching, teaching and developing open-source and open-data solutions. Its stated strengths include twenty years of field experience, professional and reliable employees, and what it calls the best archaeological equipment. Arc-Team's work has been particularly associated with challenging environments — Alpine and glacial contexts, underwater sites and cave (speleological) settings — where digital documentation and open technologies are essential. The firm continues to operate as a private limited company headquartered in Cles, Italy, serving universities, museums, heritage authorities and research projects internationally.

• 2024

  Giuseppe Naponiello leaves the company.

• 2012

  Giuseppe Naponiello joins Arc-Team as an external consultant.

• 2005

  Arc-Team Ltd. founded by Alessandro Bezzi, Luca Bezzi and Rupert Gietl.

Cultural heritage company combining field archaeology with digital documentation and free/open-source technologies, operating worldwide from Trentino/South-Tyrol.

• Excavation

  Archaeological excavation services.

• 3D Documentation

  Digital 3D documentation of archaeological sites and artefacts.

• Aerial Photo/Video

  Drone-based aerial photography and video for archaeology.

• Archive Research

  Historical and archaeological archive research.

• Surveying

  Archaeological surveying services.

• Free and Open Source

  Development and application of free and open-source solutions for archaeology.

• Underwater Archaeology

  Underwater archaeological investigation and documentation.

• Geophysical Survey

  Non-invasive geophysical prospection of archaeological sites.

• 3D Modeling

  3D modelling of sites, structures and objects.

• Speleoarchaeology

  Archaeological work in cave and speleological environments.

• Glacial Archaeology

  Archaeological research in glacial and high-alpine contexts.

• Exhibition

  Support for archaeological and heritage exhibitions.

1. 1Homepage - Arc-Teammuseidironzone.it
2. 2About - Arc-Teammuseidironzone.it
3. 3Services - Arc-Teammuseidironzone.it
4. 4Arc-Team (Italy) - Wikidatawikidata.org