Art, Light and Innovation: the Example of Assisi (Italy)

The recent presentation of the restoration project at the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi (Italy) demonstrated how high‑definition imaging and projection technologies can serve as effective tools for the preservation and communication of artistic heritage.

During the October 4, 2024 ceremony, attended by Italian authorities and the Prime Minister, a 4K projection virtually reconstructed the missing section of the Vault of the Four Evangelists — a fresco by Cimabue, approximately 900×900 cm, painted between 1277 and 1283, located at the center of the presbytery of the upper basilica.
Severely damaged by the 1997 earthquake, the work was made visible again through a digital reconstruction based on historical images adjusted to the vault’s geometry, restoring the visual integrity of one of the most important masterpieces of the thirteenth century.

📽️ Watch the video of the October 4 inauguration with national authorities and the Prime Minister:
https://www.ilmessaggero.it/umbria/vela_san_matteo_assisi-9107026.html

At Betanit, we have long explored the relationship between light, technology and architecture.
As early as 2008, with our project at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Tavazzano con Villavesco (Italy), we experimented with architectural projection as a medium for knowledge and enhancement: a luminous composition inspired by the Sistine Chapel and the Year Zero celestial sky, warmly received by the community, awarded by the IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) and featured in the International Lighting Design Index 2010 (Edition Detail, Munich).

Dicembre 7, 2009 -INTERNATIONAL LIGHTING DESIGN INDEX: Beta Nit selected

Today, the same expertise extends to technical and engineering applications — from precision optical mapping and light simulation on complex surfaces to dynamic analysis of lighting behaviour in built environments.
Light thus becomes not only an aesthetic language, but a scientific and design instrument connecting art, knowledge and innovation.