Inside the crumbling medieval church of San Francesco di Visso, the "blue helmets" of the art world are racing to save a masterpiece damaged in Italy's devastating earthquake last year. The crucifixion scene attributed to 15th-century master Paolo da Visso was found in the rubble-strewn church behind a huge wooden wardrobe which miraculously stayed standing in the sacristy.

The pale ochre and violet fresco is now in the hands of Italy's art police, who collect and catalogue fragments, battered crucifixes and cracked candlesticks and hand them to a team of restorers, archaeologists and historians.