FLORENCE, ITALY – Today Florence is marking the 50th anniversary of the devastating flood of the River Arno in 1966, which claimed dozens of lives and caused incalculable damage to the Tuscan city’s rich heritage.
Italian president Sergio Mattarella and the premier Matteo Renzi participated at the events in Florence to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the deadly flood.
«We must not love in fear of the river,» Florence Mayor Dario Nardella said. But, according to some experts, the city remains in serious danger of flooding.
Florentine filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli, 93, described in a video interview produced by State broadcaster RAI how locals suddenly realized the immense value of their city’s artistic heritage.
At the ceremonies are being invited the mud angels (Angeli del fango), thousands of volunteers from around the world descended on the city to help clean, restore, and rebuild during the 1966.
One of them, France Sedee, a Dutch colonel who went to Florence with a contingent of 140 volunteers, told the commemoration that they purified 9,000 cubic meters of water as «everything was missing in Florence, even drinking water.»
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