A scuola last week all i studenti were gathered together for a special lecture which was given by Elena Ottaviani on 'di restauro' of The Basilica San Francesco following the September 1997 earthquakes in Assisi - terramoto. We watched in complete horror as the video showed the collapse of two sections of the basilica after the second 'terramoto' and sadly took four lives. The middle section remained intact which was where the journalists and cameramen were standing (they were there to record the damage to the structure begun in the first quake the night before).
Elena proceeded to instruct us on how the small pieces of the fallen frescoes were collected and sorted then painstakingly reassembled, like a complicated jigsaw, and reinstated onto the ceiling facades. It was a process of two years and was clearly a labour of love for many specialised artisans and student volunteers who came from all over Italy.
