"From 1501 to 1505, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti both lived and worked in Florence. Leonardo was a charming, handsome fifty year-old at the peak of his career. Michelangelo was a temperamental sculptor in his mid-twenties, desperate to make a name for himself. The two despise each other."--Front jacket flap.
The Committee Firenze 2016, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the tragic 1966 flood, invited six engineers and scientists to form an International Technical Scientific Committee (ITSC) to assess the current status of flood protection for the city of Florence and identify steps to reduce the risk of flooding facing the city. In this final Report, ITSC concludes that Florence remains at risk to significant flooding and this risk grows each day. It is not a question of whether a flood of the magnitude of 1966 or greater will occur, but when. In fact, the level of protection that exists in Florence now is not on a level appropriate to the citizens and treasures that rest within the city. If, under current conditions, a 1966-like flood occurred, the consequences to human lives, treasures, properties and community infrastructure could be much more catastrophic than they were in 1966.
The author describes being in Florence in a pension by the Arno River when it overflowed. She records the story of the flood and its aftermath in the four months after.
In this charming travelogue, Virginia Wales Johnson takes the reader on a tour of Florence, Italy, exploring its history, art, architecture, and culture. From the beauty of the Arno river to the majesty of the Duomo, Johnson captures the essence of one of the world's most enchanting cities. This book will appeal to armchair travelers, history buffs, and anyone who appreciates the beauty and romance of Italy. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Birthplace of Michelangelo and home to untold masterpieces, Florence is a city for art lovers. But on November 4, 1966, the rising waters of the Arno threatened to erase over seven centuries of history and human achievement. Now Robert Clark explores the Italian city’s greatest flood and its aftermath through the voices of its witnesses. Two American artists wade through the devastated beauty; a photographer stows away on an army helicopter to witness the tragedy first-hand; a British “mud angel” spends a month scraping mold from the world’s masterpieces; and, through it all, an author asks why art matters so very much to us, even in the face of overwhelming disaster.