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The 44th Anniversary of the flood seems pretty quiet in Florence this year. I did not even notice the usual posting of pictures in shops, etc. as there seems to be each November 4th. Maybe with the "crisis" no one wants to remember! There was a ceremony in Piazza della Repubblica:
... read more.
The 45th Anniversary of the Florence Flood of 1966 is today. It is a cool gray day here in Florence with rain in the forecast, and I am not sure what if anything is planned by the city this year. We are going to take a walk into the center and see if any ceremonies are happening, etc.
If there is anything going on I will get some photos and/or video and post it later in the day. I will also be p... read more.
Wednesday November 4th will mark the 54th anniversary of the Florence Flood. To commemorate this year's anniversary I am posting a PDF of the full article from National Geographic, Florence Rises From the Flood, by Joseph Judge.
This article was originally published in National Geographic magazine in the July, 1967 issue and features several color photographs. ... read more.
Here is an article weaving the recent tragic earthquakes in L'Aquila with the flood of 1966:
Many will remember the Florence flood of 1966. Once the waters receded and the mud remained, thousands went to Florence to help. I was sent by my parents to volunteer. I was basically a kid who helped carry things and acted as a gofer. I later learned that I was technically a "mud angel." I had been a wi... read more.
Great article in the NY Times about restoring Vasari's Last Supper after the flood:
FLORENCE, ITALY -- In early morning light, the low buildings lining both sides of the Arno River here glow in their myriad shades of ochre, like the shallow river itself, which flows calmly through the city.
When I was here on Nov. 4, 1966, with my husband-to-be on our first trip to Europe together, it was quit... read more.
We got a lot of visits today, no doubt from people searching for "Florence flood", due to the news that a large stretch of the Lungarno Torrigiani collapsed very early this morning. The local fire department released some photos:
A water main break seems to be the culprit.... read more.
This Thursday, November 28th (Thanksgiving day in America) at noon, the City Archives of Florence (L'Archivio della città) will present what are believed to be the only color photographs of the 1966 Flood of Florence: Tutti i colori dell'alluvione. (The exhibit itself will take place in the Biblioteca delle Oblate in the Sala Consultazione Sezione Storica, the library is across the street from the... read more.
Here is an article about the Flood on the mayor's website: Firenze ricorda l’alluvione di 45 anni fa (Italian only!)... read more.
The Comune, along with the offices of the Regione Toscana and the Provincia di Firenze have published a booklet of events surrounding the anniversary of the flood. The PDF file (Italian only) is here. There are dozens of things happening, including a full slate on November the 4th at the Palazzo Vecchio. Below is the cover image.
... read more.
Several years ago I came across an image, in color, of the flood of 1966 that was credited to a B. Kolrab. After some on and off digging around, I finally tracked it down as the work of architectural photographer Balthazar Korab (more on that side of the story soon).
The thing that intrigued me most about that particular color photograph however was what I learned after this blog helped discover... read more.
Great article in The Guardian:
The small attic apartment that Swietlan Kraczyna shared with his wife and baby daughter in Florence did not have heating, but it had a great view of the Arno river. It was nearly dawn 50 years ago on Friday, when the immense sound of water rushing through the three arches of the Ponte Santa Trinita made the artist, who usually worked at night, look out the window.Wh... read more.
Today is the day, 40 years ago, when the city of Florence awoke to a terrible deluge:
Mud Angels swarmed to city in '66 to save priceless heritage
(ANSA) - Florence, November 1 - At 5am on November 3, 1966 the skies over Tuscany opened and poured non-stop for 18 hours, causing an unprecedented artistic, economic and human disaster. The River Arno burst its banks, flooded the city and claimed 29... read more.
Random House was kind enough to put us in touch with Robert Clark, author of the new book "Dark Water". He answered a few of our questions below by email:
Florence Flood: How long were you in Florence researching the book and how did the grant process come about?
Robert Clark: I was in Florence, living in the Piazza del Carmine for most of two years. As I said (in the book), I'd gotten the fello... read more.
Here is a good post from the Saci Art Blog about the flood and an interesting book that I have yet to get a copy of:
A SACI publication, Dear Eddie and Popp: Letters from the Florence Flood of ‘66, includes letters written by American artist and designer, James Hogg, who witnessed the effects of the flood. These numerous, typed letters written to his father-in-law are paired with photographs by ... read more.
On Saturday Florence was buzzing with various exhibits, memorials and events surrounding the remembrance of the flood. Many shops had their own photos up in their windows, which was very interesting since many of the pictures are originals and not the shots you see over and over again in books and old postcards. The lavanderia on Via dei Neri had several interesting photographs, including one of t... read more.
Here are some photos from the opening of the exhibition of the photographs of Joseph Blaustein of the 1966 flood of Florence sent to me by friends:
The photos are supposed to remain on display in the library until the end of the year.
Thanks to Naomi at art925 and Paolo at Centrica.... read more.
Next week November 4th will mark the 46th anniversary of this tragic event. I have a lot of photographs and some personal stories to publish that I received last year from people who found this blog for the first time and got in touch with me personally. I look forward to publishing more of them in the coming days, and also posting any news and scheduled events I can find that will commemorate the... read more.
Today is the 47th Anniversary of the 1966 Flood. We were hoping to be in Florence at the opening of an exhibit of photographs taken by Joseph Blaustein - what we believe are the only color photos from the morning after the flood. Unfortunately the day has come and the exhibit was not organized in time - it is still supposed to happen, and may happen in just a few weeks. If and when we get an actua... read more.
I have been having a hard time finding news about upcoming events for the 40th anniversary of the flood but stumbled on one this morning:
New York University’s Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, and Villa la Pietra, NYU’s 57-acre campus in Florence, in a joint American-Italian venture with Mayor Leonardo Domenici of Florence and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure e Laboratori di Resta... read more.
The Florentine is Florence's English language "newspaper". It is published every two weeks and can be (at times) a great resource for the English speaking community. They have a special issue out devoted to the flood which is quite well done - stories, photos, letters written at the time, etc. Unfortunately all they have on-line is a few sample pages - in PDF format (I would really love to see the... read more.
A rare screening of Franco Zeffirelli's only documentary film--a heartfelt call to action showing the effects of the 1966 flood that devastated Florence, Italy, and rallied art lovers worldwide--will be the centerpiece of a program hosted by the University of Maryland Libraries and the National Gallery of Art.
Florence: Days of Destruction will be shown at the National Gallery of Art, 4th and Co... read more.
News
44th Anniversary of the Flood of 1966
The 44th Anniversary of the flood seems pretty quiet in Florence this year. I did not even notice the usual posting of pictures in shops, etc. as there seems to be each November 4th. Maybe with the "crisis" no one wants to remember! There was a ceremony in Piazza della Repubblica:
... read more. 45th Anniversary of the Florence Flood of 1966
The 45th Anniversary of the Florence Flood of 1966 is today. It is a cool gray day here in Florence with rain in the forecast, and I am not sure what if anything is planned by the city this year. We are going to take a walk into the center and see if any ceremonies are happening, etc.
If there is anything going on I will get some photos and/or video and post it later in the day. I will also be p... read more. 54th Anniversary of the Florence Flood
Wednesday November 4th will mark the 54th anniversary of the Florence Flood. To commemorate this year's anniversary I am posting a PDF of the full article from National Geographic, Florence Rises From the Flood, by Joseph Judge.
This article was originally published in National Geographic magazine in the July, 1967 issue and features several color photographs. ... read more. A Family's Loss Leads to Life as a 'Mud Angel'
Here is an article weaving the recent tragic earthquakes in L'Aquila with the flood of 1966:
Many will remember the Florence flood of 1966. Once the waters receded and the mud remained, thousands went to Florence to help. I was sent by my parents to volunteer. I was basically a kid who helped carry things and acted as a gofer. I later learned that I was technically a "mud angel." I had been a wi... read more. After the Florence Flood: Saving Vasari's 'Last Supper'
Great article in the NY Times about restoring Vasari's Last Supper after the flood:
FLORENCE, ITALY -- In early morning light, the low buildings lining both sides of the Arno River here glow in their myriad shades of ochre, like the shallow river itself, which flows calmly through the city.
When I was here on Nov. 4, 1966, with my husband-to-be on our first trip to Europe together, it was quit... read more. Collapse of the Lungarno Torrigiani in Florence
We got a lot of visits today, no doubt from people searching for "Florence flood", due to the news that a large stretch of the Lungarno Torrigiani collapsed very early this morning. The local fire department released some photos:
A water main break seems to be the culprit.... read more. Exhibit of Color Photographs of The 1966 Florence Flood
This Thursday, November 28th (Thanksgiving day in America) at noon, the City Archives of Florence (L'Archivio della città) will present what are believed to be the only color photographs of the 1966 Flood of Florence: Tutti i colori dell'alluvione. (The exhibit itself will take place in the Biblioteca delle Oblate in the Sala Consultazione Sezione Storica, the library is across the street from the... read more. Firenze ricorda l’alluvione di 45 anni fa
Here is an article about the Flood on the mayor's website: Firenze ricorda l’alluvione di 45 anni fa (Italian only!)... read more. Florence Flood Calendar of Events
The Comune, along with the offices of the Regione Toscana and the Provincia di Firenze have published a booklet of events surrounding the anniversary of the flood. The PDF file (Italian only) is here. There are dozens of things happening, including a full slate on November the 4th at the Palazzo Vecchio. Below is the cover image.
... read more. Florence Rises From the Flood
Several years ago I came across an image, in color, of the flood of 1966 that was credited to a B. Kolrab. After some on and off digging around, I finally tracked it down as the work of architectural photographer Balthazar Korab (more on that side of the story soon).
The thing that intrigued me most about that particular color photograph however was what I learned after this blog helped discover... read more. Florence flood 50 years on: 'The world felt this city had to be saved'
Great article in The Guardian:
The small attic apartment that Swietlan Kraczyna shared with his wife and baby daughter in Florence did not have heating, but it had a great view of the Arno river. It was nearly dawn 50 years ago on Friday, when the immense sound of water rushing through the three arches of the Ponte Santa Trinita made the artist, who usually worked at night, look out the window.Wh... read more. Florence recalls epic flood heroics
Today is the day, 40 years ago, when the city of Florence awoke to a terrible deluge:
Mud Angels swarmed to city in '66 to save priceless heritage
(ANSA) - Florence, November 1 - At 5am on November 3, 1966 the skies over Tuscany opened and poured non-stop for 18 hours, causing an unprecedented artistic, economic and human disaster. The River Arno burst its banks, flooded the city and claimed 29... read more. Interview with "Dark Water" author Robert Clark
Random House was kind enough to put us in touch with Robert Clark, author of the new book "Dark Water". He answered a few of our questions below by email:
Florence Flood: How long were you in Florence researching the book and how did the grant process come about?
Robert Clark: I was in Florence, living in the Piazza del Carmine for most of two years. As I said (in the book), I'd gotten the fello... read more. Letters from the Florence flood of November 4, 1966
Here is a good post from the Saci Art Blog about the flood and an interesting book that I have yet to get a copy of:
A SACI publication, Dear Eddie and Popp: Letters from the Florence Flood of ‘66, includes letters written by American artist and designer, James Hogg, who witnessed the effects of the flood. These numerous, typed letters written to his father-in-law are paired with photographs by ... read more. November 4th, 2006 40th Anniversary of the Florence Flood
On Saturday Florence was buzzing with various exhibits, memorials and events surrounding the remembrance of the flood. Many shops had their own photos up in their windows, which was very interesting since many of the pictures are originals and not the shots you see over and over again in books and old postcards. The lavanderia on Via dei Neri had several interesting photographs, including one of t... read more. Pictures from the exhibit "Tutti i color dell'alluvione"
Here are some photos from the opening of the exhibition of the photographs of Joseph Blaustein of the 1966 flood of Florence sent to me by friends:
The photos are supposed to remain on display in the library until the end of the year.
Thanks to Naomi at art925 and Paolo at Centrica.... read more. The 46th Anniversary of the Florence Flood
Next week November 4th will mark the 46th anniversary of this tragic event. I have a lot of photographs and some personal stories to publish that I received last year from people who found this blog for the first time and got in touch with me personally. I look forward to publishing more of them in the coming days, and also posting any news and scheduled events I can find that will commemorate the... read more. The 47th Anniversary of the 1966 Flood of Florence
Today is the 47th Anniversary of the 1966 Flood. We were hoping to be in Florence at the opening of an exhibit of photographs taken by Joseph Blaustein - what we believe are the only color photos from the morning after the flood. Unfortunately the day has come and the exhibit was not organized in time - it is still supposed to happen, and may happen in just a few weeks. If and when we get an actua... read more. The Day Modern Art Conservation Was Born
I have been having a hard time finding news about upcoming events for the 40th anniversary of the flood but stumbled on one this morning:
New York University’s Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, and Villa la Pietra, NYU’s 57-acre campus in Florence, in a joint American-Italian venture with Mayor Leonardo Domenici of Florence and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure e Laboratori di Resta... read more. The Florentine covers the flood
The Florentine is Florence's English language "newspaper". It is published every two weeks and can be (at times) a great resource for the English speaking community. They have a special issue out devoted to the flood which is quite well done - stories, photos, letters written at the time, etc. Unfortunately all they have on-line is a few sample pages - in PDF format (I would really love to see the... read more. University of Maryland shares rare Zeffirelli film; Remembers 45th anniversary of Florence, Italy, flood
A rare screening of Franco Zeffirelli's only documentary film--a heartfelt call to action showing the effects of the 1966 flood that devastated Florence, Italy, and rallied art lovers worldwide--will be the centerpiece of a program hosted by the University of Maryland Libraries and the National Gallery of Art.
Florence: Days of Destruction will be shown at the National Gallery of Art, 4th and Co... read more. Top experiences in and around Florence:
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Some links to external websites may be affiliate links (hotel bookings, guide books, activities, etc.). Using these services helps to support our efforts here with no additional costs to the user (you!).