The answers to the appeal

An account by the Senator E.M. Kennedy (USA)
"I found it incredibly inspiring to see this younger generation all united in this vital effort"

An account by John Schofield (GB)
I saved up what money I could find and travelled to Florence

An account by Susan Glasspool (GB)
Once we reached the city we saw that a real catastrophe had taken place

An account by Francesco Leonetti (I)
I was horrified, the desolation looked like the after-effects of an atom bomb

An account by Carlo Alberto Garzonio (I)
I was 13 years old and for over a month worked at the Academy of the Georgofili

An account by Umberto Mazzone (I)
It was an experience that was to have a great influence on my life because it helped me to make a definite decision to do what I could to assist people less fortunate than myself

An account by Captain Riccardo Romeo of the Italian Red Cross (I)
"I'd like to find the third friend I orked with during the flood"

An account by Franco Schiavetto (I)
"I preferred to assist people who had lost everything before helping to save the works of art "

An account by Leo Giovanni Guerriero (I)
The Florentines were full of determination

An account by Salvatore Franchino (I)
A "Mud Angel" who also helped after the Vayont tragedy as well as during the floods in Versilia last June

An account by Stefano Stefanini (I) 1
"When I saw Kennedy, with his white raincoat covered in mud, I said hello to him in English and he shook my hand"

An account by Stefano Stefanini (I) 2
I would never have thought that Florence would remember us! and certainly had no idea that we had been given such a glamorous name as "Mud Angels"...

An account by Enrico Calzolari (I)
"No teachers were present to witness the cry of pain of Italian culture"

An account by Giovanna Telesca (I)
"In those days the grey skies of Florence were frightening to behold,
at night they were illuminated by electric cells that made the city look like a prison camp"

An account by Maristella Vicini (I)
"Even though I was only 13, I realised I was doing something to save culture"

An account by Elena Zazzeri (I)
All I wanted to say was: I was there too!

The accounts of Prof. Helmut Kortan and Dr. Susanne Kortan (A)
About fifty students from the Academy in Vienna came and worked

An account by Giuseppe Bottaro (I)
I remember that I took some milk to a lady who had small children she was so grateful that she insisted on giving me a pair of new shoes

An account by Fausto Bersotti (I)
"There was an incredible feeling of solidarity and young boys like my friend and I were treated with the same importance as anyone else "

An account by Marco Perotto (I)
"The river was making such a terrible noise that it sounded just like a waterfall"

An account by Andrea Pisaneschi (I)
"I was really delighted to have done what I did.
It was something I would do all over again if need be, even though it was jolly hard work"

An account by Gian Gaetano Ronca (I)
"It was a unique experience, even though it was only for one day. I still remember the moment with great pride"

An account by Prof. Alfio Del Serra (I)
"It was an enforced stimulus, an enormous job, which mobilized all the branches of knowledge and was to greatly encourage us in our work"

An account by Massimo Fabbri (I)
"We distributed emergency rations from a stall full of goods in the street in front of the entrance to the Archbishop's Palace"

An account by Fabrizio Galeotti (I)
"In the midst of all that desolation, what impressed me most of all was the smell of freshly baked bread at a baker's shop that had just re-opened"

An account by Dott.ssa Anna Maria Petrioli Tofani (I)
"It meant saving the cultural wealth of Florence. It was a race against time"

An account by Cristina Rossi (I)
"The city was in a state of utter desolation but the feeling of solidarity shown by the hundreds of young people was equally strong."

An account by Dr. Bruno Santi (I)
"The mud was extremely deep inside the church of SS Apostoli and the violence of the flood had even managed to move the organ so that we found it blocking the door"

An account by Marika Spence Sales-Ricciardelli (Canada)
"In Canada people spoke of the tragedy in Florence and all the damage done to the city which we had to try and save"

An account by Fabio Tucci (I)
"I spent 2 days removing the mud from a perfume shop in the centre and, to thank me, the owner gave me a bottle of perfume which I then swopped for a banana because I was hungry"

An account by Raffaele Virdis (I)
"The week I spent in Florence was extremely important for me because it contributed towards my cultural and humanitarian maturity"

An account by Sherry Peregrin (USA)
"All I could think about was those who lived below street level."




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