Where do we live in Florence?
Apparently, we live in a flood zone. No joke.
Our building is a long way from the River Arno. However, most of the old part of Florence, including our neighborhood, is flat, flat, flat. Of course, river valleys often have broad flood plains and the Arno river valley is no exception.
We suppose that is why the Romans built their town here in the 1st century B.C., because there was a river nearby and the terrain was flat for easy construction of a new town.
Fast forward about 2000 years. The terrible flood in November 1966 devastated the center of Florence, the oldest part of the city. The water, mixed with fuel oil, overflowed the banks of the river and flooded areas far from the river.
We recently visited an exhibit about the 1966 flood and saw a map that showed the extent of the flooding. Most of the other attendees were elderly Florentines. We suspect many of the them lived through the flood and were drawn to the exhibit since it's now the 50th anniversary of that disaster.
Below is a map from the exhibit. The map shows how far the flood extended across Florence and how high the water reached. According to the map and the scale below it, our building (marked by the star) was in the 1-2 meter flood zone. (1-2 meters is about 3-6 feet.) So, the basement and the first floor of our building must have been flooded in 1966.
Our apartment is on a higher floor (more than four flights up). So, we should be fine if there is another big flood. We will invite our neighbors to join us for wine and cheese.
A block from our apartment is a very old convent and church. It was flooded in 1966 and was located 2-3 meter flood zone. At the front of the church is a plaque that marks the high water line. You can see how high is high in the photo below.
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And don't get us started on the mosquitoes. Fuggedaboutit.
P.S. All joking aside. We live in a wonderful apartment in a lovely building in a nice neighborhood.
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