In autumn, it rains copiously in Florence, often causing the Arno River to swell and sometimes overflow. With many tributaries and limestone and granite basins that provide very little absorption, the river is prone to spilling over its banks. In fact, Florence has suffered numerous catastrophic floods since the one first recorded in 1177.
Since the twelfth century, the river has given rise to 56 documented floods, 8 of which have been particularly ruinous. To commemorate these natural disasters, marble plaques, or ?flood markers,? have been placed on building facades all around the city. Etched in Roman script, they indicate maximum water levels, commemorating the city?s flooding in 1333, 1557, 1740, 1844, 1864 and 1966.
Visitors to the Baptistery in piazza San Giovanni can still see scratch lines on the building?s porphyry columns, bearing witness to the 1333 flood, which reached 10 feet and killed more than 3,000 people. On the fa?ade of the church of San Niccol? Oltrarno, there is a plaque recording one of the worst floods in Florence?s history, which occurred on September 13, 1557. In the fall of 1966, the beauty of the ?Silvery Arno,? as the river is called in a popular song, began to fade as torrential rains began saturating Tuscany. The Arno?s many tributaries swelled and overflowed, and on November 4, Florence witnessed the city?s worst tragedy since the flood of 1333, which occurred on exactly the same day 633 years earlier. Unique markers recording water levels for both floods can be found on via San Remigio. The more ancient of the two includes a red etched cross and a hand pointing to etched waves.
For obvious reasons, the flood of November 4, 1966 is by far the best documented. Water levels are marked throughout the city?whether at 4, 8, 10 or 20 feet. The majority of Florence?s recent plaques have a solid black or red etched line indicating water levels and include the following inscription: ?Il IV Novembre 1966, L?Acqua dell?Arno arriv? a quest?altezza.? (November 4, 1966, the water of the Arno reached this height). Examples include a plaque near the top of the doorway of the Church of Ognissanti as well as several markers at the entrance of the Pietro Parigi Museum next to Santa Croce?s Pazzi Chapel.
?The damned and accursed ditch? is how Dante once described the Arno River, which was named for a temperamental Tuscan river god. And yet, more than a ditch, it is a symbol of the ebb and flow of Florence itself and the energy the city derives from it.
Modern Florentines often adopt a fatalistic attitude when discussing flood prevention. According to a common Florentine saying, ?the only way to stop the floods is to move Florence.? Many believe that the city and the river have complementary natures?both are mercurial, complex and demanding. Neither can exist without the other.
Nonetheless, future flooding continues to be a fear for locals and city administrators. This autumn?s most recent cloudburst, which hit the city at the end of September, is another reminder of the city?s fragility against the elements. Nearly 2.5 million euro worth of damages were incurred when water seeped into several Florence museums, including Uffizi and the Palazzo Vecchio?s Salone dei Cinquecento.
It?s autumn again, and all eyes turn to Dante?s ?damned? river.
Enjoyed this article? Don’t miss When the World Answered: Florence, Women Artists and the 1966 Flood. From Jane Fortune and Linda Falcone, the authors of Invisible Women and Art by Women in Florence, this new book reveals another hidden side of the city’s art scene. Fortune and Falcone will give a special presentation of the book on Wednesday, October 22, 2014, at 6:30pm at the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno (Via Orsanmichele 4). RSVP below.
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Want to dig even deeper? Don’t miss a special Flood: 1966 walk with licensed guide Alexandra Lawrence, on Saturday, October 25 at 10am. Walk & Visit ticket: 15 euro + 6 euro entrance fee (S. Croce) Special price ticket + book: 33 euro Meeting point: In front of the Dante statue at Santa Croce Visit some of the important spaces and works affected by the flood and hear the human stories of those involved in the tragedy and in the incredible collective moment of solidarity that followed. The walk takes place in the Santa Croce neighborhood, beginning at the basilica and ending at the former convent and prison, Le Murate.
Information & booking:Alexandra Lawrencea.lawrence@theflorentine.netcell: 333.8689458
