Anniversaries Celebrated But Lessons Not Learned

On August 31, 1954, the city of Providence was underwater when the winds and high tide caused by Hurricane Carol pushed the Atlantic into downtown. On November 4, 1966, Florence, Italy was submerged when the Arno River burst its banks and water rushed into the historic center of the city.  Both events inspired my recent exhibit in Providence which I named Sott’Acqua (Underwater for you non-Italian-speaking readers) A Tale of Two Cities. I chose the year 2024 to mount this new Splendor of Florence project in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Carol. It also was a perfect way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Friendship Pact between Providence and Florence. Now we are planning the return of Sott’Acqua to Florence in 2026 to commemorate 60th anniversary of the great flood which damaged so much of the world’s cultural heritage.

Visitors to SOF in Providence in November 2024 found the juxtaposing of the photo images of both cities underwater very dramatic.

 However, apart from the visual drama…the show was meant to draw attention to the dangers we all face with the current state of our climate. Looking back to images from 1954 and 1966 was shocking enough….but looking at the images below from recent storms in each city, brings home the message that we have not learned from the past. We need to pay attention or we will continue to be Sott’Acqua!