A New Digital Platform, Documenting the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi and Its Masterpieces by Giotto and Cimabue, Has Launched
A free digital platform called “Preserving Assisi” has launched to document and virtually preserve the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with masterpieces by Giotto, Cimabue, Simone Martini, and Pietro Lorenzetti. The initiative was created by Haltadefinizione (Gruppo Panini Cultura) in collaboration with the General Custody of the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis, timed to the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis of Assisi’s death. Specialists mapped the basilica’s interior and exterior using ultra-high-resolution gigapixel photography and 3D surveys, enabling virtual exploration and creating a conservation record for research, monitoring, and restoration. Lucia Panini and Haltadefinizione CEO Luca Ponzio said the “digital twin” will continue to grow through new digitization campaigns in coming months, and Friar Marco Moroni cited lessons from the 1997 Assisi earthquake as underscoring the need for high-quality photographic records.
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This story was covered in Icons in Peril, Restitution Wars Escalate