We are all remembering the anniversary of the Great Flood of Florence, 1966. We were students together and we experienced the flood together. All of us remember fondly Thanksgiving dinner at the Maybeck's. There home was in a magical setting through a gate and then a garden. With a massive fireplace and long antique dining table, the warmth and comfort of that night among really close friends is a treasured memory. On the anniversary, Joanne, Marghi, Gloria and Janice all wrote to remind il Gruppo. Below is Joanne's email and then a few photos that I had close at hand.
Carissimi amici,
Vi sto pensando a tutti questo giorno, l'anniversario dell'alluvione a Firenze. Figurati, 45 anni fa!!! Dove sono scappati gli anni!
Abbiamo fatto bene come giovani studenti. Sono orgogliosa di essere fra di voi..."angeli del fango"
Mi ricordo bene questo mese e specialmente tre settimane dopo e la festa del ringraziamento dai Maybeck senza tanti convenienze ma avevamo noi stessi e la nostra bella amicizia
di cui ne ho tanti bei ricordi.
Vi penso sempre e spero di ospitare un'altra riunione di "Il Gruppo"!
Cari saluti. Vi abbraccio tutti e vi invio tanti bacioni!
Joanne
aka "Giovanna"
 |
| Book purchased by Joanne as my Christmas present December 15, 1966 |
 |
| Il gruppo lending a helping hand and dubbed "the angels of the mud" |
 |
| Proof sheet from a Finnish journalist I took around to report on the devastation for his magazine. Somewhere I have proofs with me in it and the story in the magazine he later sent to me. |
 |
| Joanne and I were diverted on the "rapido" train from Rome to Bologna where we were stuck (I say that loosely because we fared much better than our fellow students who remained behind in Florence). We amused ourselves with this set of Monopoli and eating Lasagna Bolognese and the Tre Vechhi. Ah, I remember it well. This set was the only one that we had in our household while the kids were growing up. I think they thought Monopoly was Italian and that playing in Lira was the norm. |
 | |
| At our 44th year reunion in San Jose, CA in September 2010. |
No comments:
Post a Comment