Known throughout the world as a place of deep spiritual contemplation and a pinnacle of High Middle Ages artistic expression, the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi sits at the literal and figurative heart of Umbria, Italy. It has withstood the passage of time, but it has not remained untouched by it.
Centuries of political turmoil and seismic activity have tested the historic structure. The most devastating event came in September 1997, when two earthquakes struck the region and part of the basilica’s vaulted ceiling collapsed.
Now, a major project undertaken by digital archive experts, Haltadefinizione, has seen the creation of a detailed digital record of the basilica and its artistic heritage. Ambition reaches beyond preserving what people can see today. It is about protecting knowledge of the site, opening new ways for people to experience it, and ensuring future generations have a record to turn to if disaster strikes again.
The Record That Helps Is the One You Already Have
Nearly 30 years after the 1997 earthquakes, the recovery at the basilica is still ongoing. According to a recent CBS 60 Minutes episode, thousands of plaster fragments remain in storage beneath the church, catalogued but not yet returned to the walls.
One resource proved valuable along the way. In the early 1990s, before the earthquakes, a publisher photographed the basilica in detail for an art book series. After the disaster, restoration experts used those photographs as a reference when they identified and repositioned fragments. The photos were not taken with a disaster in mind; however, they mattered because they existed before one happened.
The disaster in Assisi teaches us an enduring lesson. A record created while a building is stable can become a connection between what was, what remains, and what may still be restored.
Preserving More Than a Place
At the Basilica, camera-based methods created a detailed visual record of the structure and its artistic heritage. The team at Haltadefinizione captured extremely high-resolution (gigapixel) images, stitched together to preserve color, brushwork, and surface detail, supporting conservation and research while helping people experience features that they may never see up close.
With such detailed digital data, conservators can return to the same visual information as work progresses, while researchers and the public can explore details that distance, access, or the vulnerability of the site might otherwise place beyond reach. You can see the finished product and experience the art up close, here.
The photographs taken in the early 1990s proved how powerful a two-dimensional record can become when history takes an unexpected turn. Today, digital reality can preserve even more, bringing detailed imagery together with measured 3D data to record not only the appearance of a place, but its physical form.
The same 60 Minute report follows a team from Haltadefinizione beneath the streets of Rome, where a separate project brings to life ancient Roman baths.
Beneath Rome: Capturing a Site Few People Will Ever See
Approximately 18 m (59 ft) below an ordinary parking lot are the remains of ancient thermal baths, with rooms rising to ceilings around 9 m (30 ft) high. Unlike the camera-based work at the basilica, the digital reality capture team in Rome used a Focus Terrestrial Laser Scanner to capture spatial data and geometry from the underground site. Here, the challenge is not only preserving something fragile, but making visible a place that is largely hidden from the world
The Focus captured a measured record of the rooms and their physical relationships, while high-resolution imaging documented their visual detail. Together, these forms of information created a richer reference for a place that is difficult to reach and unable to welcome visitors in the same way as a conventional heritage attraction.
Long after the on-site work is complete, researchers and conservators can continue to study the record without repeatedly entering or placing additional strain on the original environment. Members of the public can also encounter a place they may otherwise never know exists.
Different Records, One Shared Purpose
For conservators, the knowledge of preserving heritage with reliable digital data helps supports careful study and future restoration. For researchers, it creates information that can be revisited long after the original documentation takes place. For tourism and education, it can open doors that geography, accessibility, or the vulnerability of a site might otherwise keep closed.
And when records are created more than once, they can help specialists compare conditions over time. Changes that may be difficult to recognize during a single visit can become clearer when earlier and later records are viewed together.
Where Focus Fits
The Focus scanners create accurate 3D records of existing conditions. For heritage environments such as the underground baths in Rome, this means documenting complex spaces that may be confined or difficult to access. The resulting point cloud data can sit alongside photography, archive materials, and 3D models, contributing measured information to the wider story of a site. It can also give specialists a reference for future study or comparison.
The technology matters because it enables a clearer understanding of the real world, a record people can trust, and insight that can support responsible stewardship for years to come.
Start Before You Need It
The Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi has largely withstood the passage of time, but, as its history reminds us, it is beyond its reach. Beneath Rome, the ancient baths tell a similar story, even when a site survives, much of what makes it meaningful can remain fragile or hidden from view.
That is why the best time to create a record is before it is needed. Photography, measured 3D data, and archival materials can each preserve part of a place, helping people experience it and care for it over time. If disaster strikes, those records can also provide a connection between what was, what remains, and what may still be restored.
And there is something quietly remarkable about that. Technology created today can help the places that shaped our past remain part of our shared story tomorrow.