FIRENZE (ITALPRESS) – A long applause greeted the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio in Florence of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella who will participate in a commemorative ceremony dedicated to the sixtieth anniversary of the Florence flood. Long applause that has repeated even when Mattarella has crossed the entire hall of the sixteenth century where it is in course of the ceremony. Before the execution of the hymn of Italy, the head of the state wanted to shake hands of some so-called Angels of the Fango, who took part in the help of the city of Florence on 4 November 1966, in particular the immense historical and cultural heritage present in the capital of the Tuscan region. Angels of the Fango invited by the Municipality of Florence today to tell during the ceremony their testimony of those days.
“I thank you for this welcome.” Thus the president of the Republic Sergio Mattarella at the end of the long applause that greeted his beginning of the intervention. “I address a cordial greeting to all present, to Cardinal Betori, to the Minister of Culture” Alessandro Giuli, “to the President of the Region” Eugenio Giani, “to the mayor of Florence” Sara Funaro, “and to the other mayors present” Mattarella, who then added: “I thank Aldo Cazzullo for the fresco he has designed on what Florence has given and continues to give Italy and the world. I thank the Angels of the Fango who have witnessed the extraordinary and fascinating experience that they have experienced then, and I thank the children. The letters they read from all over the world after the Florence Flood “are beyond that engaging, moving, witnessing the genuine feeling that was created around Florence then, and that Florence preserves and continues to cultivate”.
“Sixty years have passed: Florence, city of art and beauty, cradle of the Renaissance, treasure of history, culture, spirituality, beloved destination and admired on all continents: Florence, overwhelmed by the full Arno. Bad weather and floods then struck vast territories of the Centre and the North of Italy. Many were the victims, tens of thousands of the displaced, huge damage,” he said. “From that tragedy Florence – with its history and universal vocation – became the symbol, that the images of black and white TV brought to the Italian homes and to those of the whole world. Our memory moves from those who lost their lives and families who were torn into their affections. Let us remember, as the mayor Funaro did, those who lost their lives. The dead of the city, of the province of Florence, of Tuscany, of other regions,” said Mattarella.
“After the flood of Florence they could prevail the discouragement and distrust. It could have, fear, paralyze every reaction. It would have been possible, the civil organization, to sink into disorder because of the inexperience in the face of similar gigantic dimensions. So it wasn’t. Florence healed the wounds and returned itself.” “Thanks to the love of the Florentines for their city, thanks to the courage of those who worked day and night despite the pain and uncertainty on tomorrow, thanks to the civic sense of a community who knew how to recognize and make a team, led by a mayor in love with his city like Piero Bargellini,” added Mattarella who then recalled: “Florence also rose thanks to the help of the “corns of the mud”. Young people come from all over Italy and, as we have heard again today, from all over the world. Young people driven by feelings of solidarity, the need to feel fully part of the human community, the desire to write their history and not simply to accept the inertia of events.”.
“The rescue and reparation of Florence” after the flood “they left a deep mark in the history of our Republic”. “A sign of unity and fraternity, in a season in which the world was changing – Mattarella added. Unit of the country in addressing the emergency. Unity between generations, while the youngest and most numerous faced social life and wanted to experience values, hopes, ideals. Unity of the human family, represented by those who in every continent have wept for Florence, have acted for Florence, and have come to give a hand in Florence”.
“Italy was no longer as before after the flood of Florence and that extraordinary solidarity bike. The whole society received a new boost. We are aware of our vulnerability, the necessary protection of the territories and the fragile balance of the environment.” “In Florence the alarm appeared in all its urgency – Mattarella added. A society based on the primacy of the person cannot but regard as a common commitment the protection of the environment and the security of communities in the face of disasters. A challenge, but also a duty for institutions. That they responded over time, even with affection and uncertainty. In any case, public policy needs support for solidarity networks, the sense of being community. In Florence he had proof.”.
– photo Quirinale –
(ITALPRESS).
