The Arno was already behaving strangely. For days, rain had fallen over Florence, swelling the river until it rushed through the city like a torrent. On November 4, 1966, the water broke its banks, flooding streets, homes, churches and museums, and threatening some of Italy’s most precious cultural treasures. For a group of American students spending the academic year in Florence, an overseas study programme suddenly became an experience they would never forget.
In Mud Angels Recovered: FSU’s First Year in Florence, a 2016 documentary by Breanna Bruner, former students and faculty recall the flood, the shock of its aftermath and the unexpected role they played in helping the city recover. Their testimonies offer a personal perspective on a defining moment in Florentine history, when the destruction of cultural heritage was met with an extraordinary display of international solidarity.
