San Francesco del Prato

Construction probably began around 1240. The facade has tall, narrow niches and single-light windows around a large rose window by Alberto da Verona, dated 1461. It has sixteen spokes: the church's guide explains that medieval builders read sixteen as the house of God, double the eight Beatitudes.

During the restoration, the two tall Gothic windows on the facade were found almost intact under later masonry and reopened. The square prison windows cut into the front were bricked up again, but deliberately left visible as an outline in the wall. On the side wall, the large prison openings were kept as a sign of the building's past. Walk down the side of the church to see them. At the reconsecration in October 2021 the facade was the screen for a video-mapping show projected across the whole front.

When the church became a prison, its frescoes were covered in grey plaster. Only a few were recovered after 1974. The recent restoration stripped later layers down to the original paint and consolidated it. What to look for:

• The nave walls, where the original white plaster survives with painted bands that imitate brick around the arches.
• The columns, with patches of fresco consolidated in place.
• The apse, where frescoes emerged from under coats of paint and were partly restored, and the Christ on the keystone.
• Saint James, a fresco on the second column on the left as you enter by the main door.
• The floor, new but made of cocciopesto, lime and brick dust, matched to fragments of the original found in the church.

The result is a spare, bright nave. It does not look like the gilded churches around it, and that is the point: this is what a large Franciscan church of the 13th century was meant to feel like.

Saint Francis of Assisi died in 1226, and Parma is marking the 800th anniversary with a program led by the friars, the church's volunteers and the Secular Franciscan Order. Dates announced for San Francesco del Prato:

• October 2, 8:30 p.m.: concert of 13th-century liturgical chant and laude by the vocal group Vox in Rama.
• October 3, 8 a.m.: Mass for the fifth anniversary of the church's rededication.
• October 3, 4 p.m.: opening of the exhibition Giovanni chiamato Francesco by Angelo Antonio Falmi, hosted in the church.
• October 4, 5:30 p.m.: the Transitus celebration, led by the Bishop of Parma.

During services, sightseeing is not appropriate. If you want the church quiet, avoid those slots.

The restoration is not finished, and the church raises money for it directly. Its donation page offers three thank-you gifts, one per donation:

The rose window visit is the one to consider: it is the only way to see the window close up. Arrange it through the donation form on the church's site. Donations qualify for Italy's Art Bonus tax credit, which is useful only if you pay Italian tax.

The church faces Piazzale San Francesco, shared with the Casa del Suono and the Casa della Musica. Walking distances we measured: the Duomo about 320 m, San Giovanni Evangelista a few minutes south, and Parma station about 1.1 km. It fits naturally into the music walk and any morning in the Duomo quarter.