Light is the star of this exhibition which spans centuries and countries. The effects of light are investigated in a selection of over 40 works distributed among the naves of Palazzo San Francesco in an installation designed to create light effects, both for the paintings and the visitor, who is invited to stroll through an exhibition that is sensory thanks to controlled lighting and scenic effects. The first section contains paintings “ by candlelight ” : the protagonist is the light source itself, in this case, candles or embers. There are works by Flemish artists such as Gherardo delle Notti, Adam de Coster and Trophime Bigot allowed to dialogue with the Peasant Lighting a Candle with a Burning Ember, by A. Inganni, and with the silent Still Life by G. de Chirico which offers proof of the use of light in 20th-century art. Among the sacred works are the Dead Christ Supported by Angels by P. Piazza ( collection of the BPM bank ), The Placing of Christ in the Sepulchre by Titian ( Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan ) and the Caravaggesque Christ at the Column by M. Preti from a private collection. The visit contemplates the light of nature and landscape, lake and mountain, including that of the Ossola Valley, with never-before-seen paintings by Ashton and Pennasilico. Exemplary of the vision of the Italian landscape and of ‘ other worlds ’, are the works of such artists as I. Caffi, D. Induno, and A. Morbelli. This section includes two masterpieces: the fascinating Washing in the Sun, one of the most important Divisionist paintings by Pellizza da Volpedo, and Washerwomen at Cagnes by Renoir. It is then possible to rediscover the value of light effects in a group of works from between the 19th and 20th centuries: controlled light, such as the one emanating The Death of Cleopatra by A. Glisenti ; emotional light, as seen in the paintings of G. Previati, G. Sottocornola and G. Mascarini ; but also a light that narrates the presence of Providence as depicted in Help in Hard Times by G. Molteni. In addition, the exhibition examines the technological achievements that have produced electric light, thus celebrating the history of the Ossola Valley. This territory became the cradle of the nascent industry for the production of hydroelectric energy. On display are a Model with the Hydroelectric Plants of the Toce Valley ( circa 1930 ), exceedingly rare backlit photographs, and a small piece of machinery.