Angeli di Fango: Una Storia di Solidarietà
Angels of the Mud: A Story of Solidarity
Un anniversario da ricordare
An Anniversary to Remember
Il 3 novembre segna l’anniversario dell’alluvione che devastò Firenze nel 1966. Dopo settimane di piogge torrenziali, gli argini dell’Arno cedettero e le acque del fiume inondarono la città. Firenze fu colta quasi del tutto impreparata quella notte, incapace di affrontare le conseguenze di una calamità che distrusse molti capolavori artistici e libri rari.
November 3 marks the anniversary of the flood that devastated Florence in 1966. After weeks of torrential rains, the Arno’s banks gave way, and river water surged into the city. Florence was caught almost entirely unaware that night, unprepared to deal with the disaster that destroyed many masterpieces and rare books.
Il 3 novembre è l’anniversario del diluvio che devastò Firenze nel 1966.
November 3 is the anniversary of the flood that devated florence in 1966
Gli angeli di fango arrivano in soccorso
The Mud Angels to the Rescue
Con poche misure di emergenza e una forza lavoro insufficiente, Firenze fece affidamento sui volontari chiamati “Angeli di Fango,” che accorsero nella città subito dopo aver appreso dell’alluvione. Questi giovani, provenienti da tutto il mondo e da tutta Italia, si misero al servizio dei fiorentini, spalando circa 600.000 tonnellate di fango, detriti e liquami lasciati dall’alluvione.
With few emergency measures in place and insufficient manpower, Florence relied on volunteers known as “Mud Angels,” who rushed to the city after hearing about the flood. These young people, from all over the world and Italy, selflessly helped Florentines shovel approximately 600,000 tons of mud, debris, and sewage left behind by the disaster.
Una lotta contro il fango e l’olio
A Battle Against Mud and Oil
I volontari affrontarono fango denso fino alle ginocchia e olio combustibile fuoriuscito dalle caldaie rotte, che si era depositato su pareti di pietra, statue e superfici di marmo. Le vetrine dei negozi erano in frantumi, le merci distrutte, le automobili trascinate via dalle correnti e lasciate in mucchi disordinati nelle strade.
The volunteers faced knee-deep mud and sticky oil from broken heating lines, which coated stone walls, statues, and marble surfaces. Storefronts were shattered, merchandise ruined, and cars were swept away by currents, left in chaotic piles on the streets.
Gli Angeli del Fango hanno lavorato instancabilmente
The Mud Angels worked tirelessly, inspired to make a difference.
Ispirati dalla speranza e dalla solidarietà
Driven by Hope and Solidarity
Molti di questi giovani non furono mai pagati per il loro lavoro e dormirono nei vagoni ferroviari del deposito di Santa Maria Novella. Durante il giorno, ripulivano le strade dai detriti o passavano a catena i libri e i manoscritti zuppi dal seminterrato della Biblioteca Nazionale. Alcuni spalmarono solventi caustici sulle pareti per rimuovere l’olio, mentre altri aiutarono negli ospedali o nei negozi.
Many of these young people were never paid for their efforts and slept in train cars at Santa Maria Novella station. During the day, they cleared debris from streets or passed waterlogged books and manuscripts from the Biblioteca Nazionale’s basement. Some applied caustic solvents to walls to remove oil, while others assisted in hospitals or shops.
L’eredità degli Angeli di Fango
The Legacy of the Mud Angels
Secondo Mario Primicerio, ex professore e sindaco di Firenze, gli Angeli di Fango furono mossi da tre motivi principali: la preoccupazione per le generazioni future, un senso di unità internazionale e una profonda solidarietà.
According to Mario Primicerio, a former professor and mayor of Florence, the Mud Angels were driven by three main motives: concern for future generations, a sense of international unity, and deep solidarity.
Ricordi e commemorazioni
Memories and Commemorations
Anni fa, in occasione del cinquantesimo anniversario, partecipai a un omaggio agli Angeli di Fango organizzato dall’Istituto Italiano di Cultura a San Francisco. Tra filmati e testimonianze, emersero ricordi toccanti di una notte buia e silenziosa, interrotta solo dalle grida di chi cercava aiuto.
Years ago, to mark the 50th anniversary, I attended a tribute to the Mud Angels at the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco. Through film and personal stories, vivid memories surfaced of a dark, silent night, broken only by the cries of those seeking help.
Mud angles in action — Florence 1966
L’alluvione nella narrativa
The Flood in Literature
L’alluvione e il coraggio degli Angeli di Fango hanno ispirato un capitolo del mio romanzo Dreaming Sophia, ambientato a Firenze. Puoi trovare il libro su Amazon in formato cartaceo, EPUB e audiolibro.
The flood and the bravery of the Mud Angels inspired a chapter in my novel Dreaming Sophia, set in Florence. You can find the book on Amazon in print, EPUB, and audiobook formats.
Read the novel that was inspired by the Mud Angels and the 1966 Florence Flood!
Dreaming Sophia
Dreaming Sophia is a magical look into Italy, language, art, and culture. It is a story about turning dreams into reality and learning to walk the fine line between fact and fantasy. When tragedy strikes, Sophia finds herself alone in the world, without direction and fearful of loving again. With only her vivid imagination to guide her, she begins a journey that will take her from the vineyards in Sonoma, California to a grad school in Philadelphia and, eventually, to Italy: Florence, Lucca, Rome, Verona, Venice, and Val d’Orcia. Through dreamlike encounters, Sophia meets Italian personalities—princes, poets, duchesses, artists, and film stars— who give her advice to help put her life back together. Following a path that takes her from grief to joy, she discovers the source of her creativity and learns to love again, turning her dreams into reality.
Thank you for this. I’m watching the film, La Meglio Gioventù (for the third time!) which includes coverage of this disaster and the remarkable pulling together of young people to help in whichever way they could. While it was such a sad event, it also gives me hope for the future – that it IS possible to make a difference and to leave things in better condition than we found them.