(23 Dec 1997) Italian/Nat
Christmas celebrations at Assisi in Italy will be slightly muted this year - three months after a devastating earthquake which claimed four lives and left the celebrated St. Francis Basilica badly damaged.
But restoration work is continuing and there are hopes that the area will be rebuilt for generations to come.
A-P-T-V reports on the work being done.
This Nativity scene is being built outside the St. Francis Basilica in Assisi.
Christmas preparations are underway, but there is a different atmosphere this festive season.
The celebrated cathedral remains closed following the earthquake on September 26th.
The damage to its renowned frescoes is still being assessed and there is concern too for its structure.
The Basilica had already been damaged by an earthquake in the early hours of that day when a second shock brought parts of the roof down.
A group of experts, who had been assessing the earlier damage were caught, and four people were killed.
Three months later, a strong but intricate roof scaffold has been built, allowing around 40 people to carry out reconstruction work up at the top of the building.
In an atmosphere not unlike a coal mine, they are painstakingly clearing the roof space.
They have already reinforced much of the vaulting and their difficult task is becoming safer as they gradually move more rubble.
SOUNDBITE: (Italian)
\"The work involves a certain amount of risk but all the workers are secured with lines. Day by day they're clearing the building and every day that there are no more aftershocks makes things even safer. But the danger level remains quite high.\"
SUPER CAPTION Luca Lunghi, Chief Engineer
The work is long and demanding - the target date for the re-opening of the Basilica is the Jubilee in 2000.
Inside, experts are now able to work on the famous Giotto frescoes, following a major clean-up operation.
Scaffolding, which is already up at the far end, will eventually run the entire length and breadth of the building.
It will support the roof and walls and allow close work on the paintings.
The man in charge of their restoration was one of those freed from the rubble when the earthquake hit.
Having survived, he is determined that so too will the Basilica.
SOUNDBITE: (Italian)
\"I've spent 25 years of my life here - I'm 46 now so you can see I've been here since my youth. My greatest hope - if I'm still standing, together with my colleagues, and the other restorers, is the wish to see this Basilica resplendent as it was on the 25th September, before the earthquake, and then continue the maintenance work I was doing before, if I'm allowed to get on with it.\"
SUPER CAPTION Sergio Fusetti, Chief Restorer
An enormous amount of work remains to be done, but the new year will bring hope that Assisi's glory will be seen in full again.
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