Angels of the Mud: A Story of Solidarity
An Anniversary to Remember
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.
November 3 is the anniversary of the flood that devated florence in 1966
The Mud Angels to the Rescue
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.
A Battle Against Mud and Oil
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.
The Mud Angels worked tirelessly, inspired to make a difference.
Driven by Hope and Solidarity
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
The Legacy of the Mud Angels
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.
Memories and Commemorations
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
The Flood in Literature
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.
Greetings, I am 2/3 through a draft of a novel that includes some chapters on Florence shortly after the flood. I’m looking for Mud Angels to interview. While I was briefly in Italy in 1966 on a ‘gap semester’ traveling around Europe, I never made it to Florence. I heard about backpackers and others of my age going to Florence to help in clean-up in a Marbella hostel, and decided to do the same. Unfortunately, I ran out of funds in Genoa. My book is not the story of my life, but bits of my life in a fictional story. I would like to interview surviving Mud Angels about silly details of the time for more detailed background. Any ideas how I can develop those contacts? Thanks for any help anyone can provide.
Hi Rob, Thanks for your message and interest in the Mud Angels. I sent you an email as well as replying to your message on the blog site.
There is a wealth of information on the internet that will help you.
I think one of the best ways to visualize the flood is by watching the Italian film “La meglio giovenú” or “The Best of Youth.” It is an extremely long film that follows the saga of an italian family… but there is a part of the film that takes place during the 1966 flood in Florence. It illustrates brilliantly what happened and how the students reacted and helped save books and art. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_of_Youth
There are also lots of books, blog articles and memoirs have also been written on the subject.
I too have written a novel called “Dreaming Sophia” that takes place in Florence and dedicate an entire chapter to the Mud Angels – Chapter 7 “Saving Lorenzo’s Legacy. You can find the novel following this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LMVR10W/
Doing a quick internet search I came up with this:
http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu%3A368787/datastream/OBJ/view/FSU-Firenze_1966-67_Memories.pdf
On Amazon there are books more books as well
Amazon.com/Dark-Water-Disaster-Redemption-Florence/dp/0767926498
Robert Hellenga’s book (my college professor) “The Sixteen Pleasures” is about a book restorer and her adventures in Florence during the flood.
Happy researching and writing!
Stammi bene! Ci sentiamo! Melissa
When bad things happen to good people in my world , I always think of the tenacity of Italy . Your photo essay on the flood of 1966 is an excellent reminder of it . Thanks for sharing ! 💪
Thanks Melissa . Loved it .