San Francesco Church and Complesso Museale

The former Franciscan church at the edge of the old town now functions as part of the Complesso Museale di San Francesco, which houses three museums in a single complex: the Museo della Civiltà dell'Olivo, a collection of medieval frescoes, and a small pinacoteca with panels mostly by Umbrian painters from the 14th to 17th centuries.

The church itself is the most interesting space. The nave is Gothic in structure, long and unadorned, with stone walls that have a particular acoustic quality that makes even a speaking voice ring clearly. If a concert is scheduled during your visit — the tourist office in the main square will know — it is worth arranging your day around it. The apse holds a substantial fresco cycle that retains most of its original colour.

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The acoustics of San Francesco are the result of a 13th-century construction technique that placed ceramic jars — resonators — in the walls, an ancient trick borrowed from Roman theatre design. Musicians who have played here describe the reverberation as unlike anything in a modern concert hall.

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